Gone
by JMS529
Summary: It's been five years since Norah disappeared and four years since her body was found. Marshall has taken on a missing child's case every year for National Missing Children's Day. This year's choice will bring back memories and expose long hidden wounds. Written for 12 days on LJ
1. Chapter 1

**Gone**

Marshall sat at his desk staring at the calendar, knowing that he had two weeks to make up for what happened five years ago. He'd never be able to forget the phone call that came in the middle of the afternoon on their day off.

"_Mare, do we have a situation?" Marshall asked, answering his cell phone._

"_Marshall, she's… oh God, Marshall. She's… she's… missing. We can't…no where…gone," Mary choked out between sobs. _

"_Mary, who's missing and where are you?" _

"_Nor… Norah. Amusement park. He lost her. He lost my bug."_

"_I'm on my way. Is the park locked down and have the police been called?" _

"_Park is… police here. Marshall, I need you." _

"_I'm on my way, Mare." Marshall said rushing to his SUV while hitting the sirens on and screeching out of the grocery store parking lot while dialing Delia's number. _

"_Hi Chief."  
_

"_Delia, where are you?" _

"_At the office doing some paperwork. What's wrong?" Delia could hear the tension in Marshall's voice. _

"_I need you to get the picture of Norah on my desk and make sure it gets to the police to broadcast it on local TV stations. When that is done, I need you to call Stan and have him on standby to pull any strings necessary to get us help to find her. When you're done with that I need you to meet me at the amusement park and help look for her. Get volunteers to help from the office. I've already called for the SAR dogs for tracking her." _

"_On it," Delia said, quickly hanging up and getting things into motion. _

_/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\_

_Marshall arrived in time to see a hysterical Mary hit Mark while the police attempted to pull her away from him. Mary was fighting them with everything she had and that sent a chill through Marshall because if she was lashing out and not searching it meant they hadn't been able to find Norah in the park. _

_Marshall moved quickly over towards Mary and flashed his badge at the officers restraining her. _

"_I've got it," Marshall said __authoritatively. _

_Once the officer released her, Marshall took her aside and away from Mark._

"_Mare, I need you to listen to me. We're going to pull out all the stops on this, but I need you to try to clam down. You're scared, angry and lashing out at the people who are tying to help you. While understandable, it's not helping."_

_Mary knew that what Marshall was saying was true, but she couldn't even think like a marshal, not when her daughter was missing. _

"_Take a few deep breaths and then tell me what happened," Marshall said, while a police officer came over and whispered into his ear. _

"_What's happening? Marshall, what did he say? Where's bug?"_

_The desperation in her voice and the fear for the little girl who captured his heart made him want to cry. Right now Mary needed him to be strong and he would. There would be no resting until they found Norah. _

"_I don't know where she is, but I won't stop looking until I find her. The police have the search dogs here. Do you have her teddy bear or something that Norah's worn recently?" _

"_Norah has the teddy bear with her. She hasn't parted with it since you gave it to her. I have the jacket she wore yesterday in the minivan." _

"_I'm going to need you to go get it, but before that I need to know what happened." _

"_Mark wanted to spend the day with Norah, it's why we didn't go to the ballgame," Mary started swiping the tears that continued to fall. She knew the time frame for finding a child and what could happen to them. "I trusted him to keep an eye on her. God, how could he be so irresponsible?" _

"_Mare, I need you to focus. What happened?" _

"_Apparently she saw something and he let her wander ahead of him. According to Mark, he bumped into a client and they talked for a few minutes. When he went over to where Norah was headed she wasn't there. Marshall, he didn't even call the cops right away. He went running around looking for her until a security guard saw him and called it in. What idiot doesn't get help first?" _

_Marshall pulled her into an embrace briefly. As much as he wanted to comfort her, time didn't allow it. _

"_He's not trained like us, Mare. Mark doesn't know. I get that you're hurting and angry, but the last thing the two of you need to be doing now is fighting. Let's focus on getting Norah and then I'll let you scream at him all you want, I promise." _

_Mary nodded before realizing she needed to tell Marshall. _

_"Marshall, Abigail is the detective in charge for the P.D. She was the first at the scene." _

"_Mare, none of that matters. We'll work together to find Norah along with the FBI. We're going to need you to fill out the missing person's report." _

"_Mark's already started that. I'll get the jacket. The police are already talking to the people in the park. Abigail still blames me for you calling off the engagement." _

"_I had Delia call Stan to see if I can take charge of the case along with calling the F.B.I. Abigail may not like us, but she's a professional and will do her job." _

_Delia moved over towards Mary and Marshall. _

"_The media has been given the photo from your desk and the one from Mary's. They're calling her missing and asking for anyone that might have seen something. Stan pulled strings and managed to get you in charge of the investigation, under one stipulation…" Delia hesitated. _

"_I can't work the case, because I'm personally involved," Mary replied, before looking Marshall in the eyes. "Find her. If anyone can, it will be you." _

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The clock in the hallway rang bringing him back to the present. Picking up the card on his desk, he couldn't stop his fingers tracing over the picture. Before flipping it over and seeing the words that still shattered his heart.

_In Loving Memory of Norah Maya Shannon_

_God needed one more angel child__  
__Amidst his shining band__  
__And so he bent with loving smile__  
__And clasped our darling's hand._

Marshall heard the sound of footsteps coming down the hall and knew they were too big to be either of their children's. Taking the card he moved it under some other papers on his desk, while turning off his computer. He'd come back later to make up his mind.

"You don't have to stop looking because of me, Marshall. I know it's two weeks until National Missing Children's Day," Mary said softly.

Norah's death still haunted her, but sometimes she worried it haunted Marshall more. A part of her regretted that she called him. When the anniversary of Norah's disappearance or funeral came up they both had nightmares, but Marshall's were the worst.

Every year since then he took May 25th, National Missing Children's Day off to help try to find a missing child. She remembered when Marshall told her about the holiday, it sickened her that it was called that until Marshall put it in terms that made her understand. In some ways he said it was like Memorial Day only they were remembering the missing children and their families. Some might be out there and longing to come home. They knew others would end up like Norah and that shattered their hearts. No one should ever have to go through this kind of pain. Since then Marshall honored the day by trying to help find a child. He'd spend weeks before the day to try to get the most information he could, while investigating what information was there and interviewing former witnesses. Marshall was relentless in his pursuit of finding a child.

Mary knew Marshall did it in hopes of giving closure to a family whose world had been turned upside down. While the pain never completely faded, she at least knew what happened to Norah and was able to bury her. It had taken Marshall a year to find her, but he did. She just wasn't sure how much it truly cost him to keep his promise to her. Marshall refused to talk about it. No matter how much she yelled, cried or tried to reason with him, it was off-limits. She knew Norah had been murdered, but there was something Marshall kept from her. Something that caused the nightmares that plagued him.

The report he had written on the incident told what it had to, but Mary still felt that Marshall held something back. Maybe it was the horror of finding Norah, who had stolen his heart from the minute she was born that kept him from telling her. It originally made her mad and led to several fights and almost a divorce. His refusal to budge on the matter had pissed her off, she walked out on him once with the intention of never returning, but something brought her back. It was probably the realization that Marshall always had her back and if he felt that it was something she was better off not knowing then she'd have to trust him. It had taken her week to get to that point, but she knew that Marshall had her best interest at heart. While a part of her still wanted to know, for Marshall's sake she stopped asking. Her husband suffered enough nightmares about Norah's kidnapping and death that she realized her pushing was making things worse.

Life had changed drastically after Norah went missing. Mary had taken a leave of absence from work to continue to look for her daughter despite knowing Marshall hadn't stopped. Six months of finding nothing she had become a shell of who she once was and stayed in her room holding Norah's blanket and her stuffed horse close to her. They were the two items Norah cherished the most after Sleepy bear. She couldn't function without knowing where her daughter was. Marshall had finally made her see Shelley. He was the only one who dared to come near her. She snapped at everyone and hated the world. Marshall refused to let her shut him out. He forced himself into her daily life and reminded her constantly that no matter what they found Norah wouldn't want her Mommy to quit living.

Mary recalled trying to punch him the first time he said it. He caught her fist and held on to her as she fought with everything she had before breaking down. It was the first of many nights that she leaned on Marshall for support. It had taken her another four months before she had finally taken a really good look at Marshall and the toll it was taking on him.

It was then she realized he was burning the candle at both ends. Marshall kept up with his responsibilities as the Chief while continuing to spend almost all of his free time searching for Norah. The only time he wasn't looking for Norah was when he was forcing her to find a way to keep living. It was probably something neither of them would ever expect to deal with. She had stopped being the Mary every one knew the day Norah disappeared. Her abrasiveness and strength had disappeared and all that was left was a bitter, angry shell that all but one person avoided. The only one who dared to come near her on a regular basis was Marshall.

The sad fact was that if she hadn't gone to his house the one night, she'd have been none of the wiser. The anger she felt inside reached a whole new level after Mark stopped by to try to ask for forgiveness again. He wanted them to deal with this together. She was livid and needed someone to yell at. His carelessness cost them time with their daughter and more than likely her life. It was the only thing Mary knew at that moment in time. She knew what the odds were in a stranger abduction, but clung to the hope that her little girl would somehow beat those odds.

Her mind drifted back to the day she showed up on Marshall's doorstep, furious beyond words.

_Mary rang the doorbell worried that if she just walked in that she'd get shot. It was the first time in months that she willing left her house. Marshall wouldn't expect her and that would mean his instincts would be on full alert. Barging in on him unannounced after not coming out for anyone would earn her a gun pointed at her or a gun shot wound. _

_Marshall opened the door just before she pushed the doorbell for a second time. The light of the door illuminated his face and the bags under his eyes registered in her mind for the very first time in ten months. Noticing his eyes caused her to take a more careful look at him then. His hair was a mess, his shoulders seemed to slouch, and he looked worn and haggard. In the time it took her to take in Marshall's appearance, her mind wrapped around the fact that Norah's disappearance was taking a toll on other's besides her and Mark. _

"_Marshall, when's the last time you slept?" Mary asked, forgetting her anger briefly. _

"_I sleep," Marshall said softly, while moving aside to let Mary in. "Are you okay? What are you doing out? Did something happen?" _

"_Mark stopped by. How often do you sleep?" _

"_Mare, what did Mark want?" _

"_To explain and tell me he was hurting too." _

"_How did you respond?" _

"_You won't have to explain anything to the police. I made sure that he knew that his presence wasn't allowed at my house." _

"_Mare…" Marshall started. _

"_Marshall, don't say it. There is a part of me that knows he didn't do it on purpose, but the rest of me can't help blaming him. Would you have let her wander off on her own? No you wouldn't. In fact I know full well how close an eye you kept on her when she was with you. She's three years old. That isn't old enough to let her wander off in a place full of people you don't know. Not that any age really is, but hell Jinx and Brandi know better than that," Mary replied, feeling the anger coming back as she paced Marshall's living room. _

_It was as she was pacing that she noticed the light in Marshall's den on. For some reason she wandered towards it. _

"_Burning the midnight oil? What witness is causing havoc now?" Mary asked, ignoring Marshall's attempt to stop her. She froze as soon as her eyes took in the pictures, maps and notes posted onto a board in his den. She knew he looked for Norah, but never realized the extent of his investigation. Why it surprised her she didn't know. Marshall was thorough at everything he did. _

"_Mare?" _

"_How long have you been working on this?" _

"_Since Norah went missing. I promised you that I'd bring her home. I keep my promises, Mare." _

"_Tell me," Mary demanded taking in everything. _

"_I don't have anything to tell you yet, Mare. I'm working on anything and everything. It's not exactly a simple task. I'm doing my best." _

"_Marshall, I know that. I'd never even doubt that you weren't putting everything into this. Who are all these kids and how does it relate?" _

"_They're the missing. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children an average of 2,185 children are reported missing each day. 800,000 children under eighteen are missing each year."_

_Mary's heart ached for all the others who were going through the same thing she was. Another part ached for Marshall. She knew everything he was discovering was getting stored into his brain. It would haunt him for a very long time. _

"_I don't have a connection to them. I've tried to sort Norah and the others from this area by looks, places kidnapped, suspected vehicles used and checked that with any known suspects that may have been in Albuquerque. So far there's nothing. I've rechecked all the information that we collected from the amusement park and the employees backgrounds. Checked for any known pedophiles in the area and their whereabouts. The map represents areas that children have been abducted. So far I haven't found any patterns that would coordinate with Norah's disappearance. There has to be something that I'm missing." _

_Mary knew full well what he was missing. All you had to do was take a good look at Marshall to know what was missing. . _

"_What you're missing is sleep. If you don't get some, you'll never be able to think clearly." _

"_There's no time for that. Norah is out there somewhere and I need to find her. I keep my promises." _

_Mary walked over to him and gently cupped his cheek._

"_Marshall, we're both aware of what the likely outcome will be. I've tried to run and hide from it. I'm not giving up on Norah. It's something I can't do until we find her. There is a chance we may never know, but I doubt that will happen with you working on this. That doesn't mean I want you making yourself sick trying to find her. My intentions weren't for you to work yourself to death. The reason that you needed to be involved is because you're the one person I trust to be honest with me. You'll search to the ends of the earth and when you find the answer you will tell me no matter how good or bad it is. I can't lose you too. Let's both go lay down. Neither of us has slept enough and we both need the rest. I can't leave you here like this. Tomorrow you don't have to be in the office. You can start again then. Just lay down with me for a while."_

_She grabbed his hand and led him to his own room. From the looks of it, he'd hardly been in it. Mary knew this meant that she'd need to keep an eye on Marshall. She could help him look through the information while making sure he was taking care of himself. It would help both of them. If she went back to hiding herself from the world he'd work himself into an early grave. _

_Mary felt Marshall slide into the bed next to her and knew full well that he'd try to stay awake until she fell asleep. He'd get up and start looking again. She still regretted letting Mark take Norah to the amusement park that day. Marshall had asked if he could take his girls to an Isotopes game. Mary couldn't help but think they wouldn't be in this place if she'd said yes to Marshall like she had wanted to, but Mark has asked first and she'd already said yes. _

"_Is Norah paying for all my mistakes over the years?" Mary whispered softly. _

"_Mare, look at me," Marshall demanded. _

_It was his demand that caused her to look. It was a voice he used so rarely with her. _

"_You're not being punished for anything in your past or your families. I don't know why it was Norah that was grabbed out of all the children in that park. The only thing I do know is that we'll find her and the person responsible for taking her." _

"_I'm scared, Marshall. What happens when you find her? I'm not the same person that she knew before this, it's like the strength and fierceness disappeared those six months that I spent looking for her and getting no where. Mark will be a sore spot for the rest of my life. How can I trust him with her ever again? What happens if she's dead? When Daddy left me, there was a hole in my heart. Norah's disappearance makes that wound seem so small. I don't think I can survive losing her." _

"_Mare, if I knew how to take away the pain then I'd do it in a heartbeat. The only thing to give you is a promise to never quit looking. A part of me feels like I failed both you and Norah." _

"_No, that's the one thing that you've never done. You had the Amber alert issued the second there was confirmation of her being abducted. There are rules that have to be followed and you did that. Everyone was looking for the van that the witness saw. Don't punish yourself for this Marshall. One of us blaming ourselves is enough." _

"_You didn't do anything wrong, Mare." _

"_I'm trying to believe that Marshall. It's just so hard. The house is too quiet and I miss her so much. The sight of Mark turns me irrational and the only time I feel semi human is when I'm with you. Jinx and Brandi just keep staring at me with those pitiful looks until I snap at them and they leave before dealing with my wrath." _

"_They're worried about you. We all are. Stan's flying in next week. I think he plans on staying for a couple of weeks at least." _

"_I know he's coming. Stan called me to see how I was doing. He's worried about you also. I should've noticed how tired you were sooner." _

"_There are more important matters on your mind and I'll be fine." _

_Mary didn't answer just moved so her head was lying against his chest so she could hear his heartbeat. There was something soothing about it that comforted her and she knew it would keep him from getting up. When she heard the soft snore come from Marshall, she couldn't help the small smirk that formed on her lips. Almost instantly she felt guilty for finding something to smile about. Norah was out there somewhere scared and wondering where she was. Tightening her arm around Marshall she slipped into a restless sleep. _

"Mare?" Marshall asked again noticing the far away look in his wife's eyes.

"What?"

"Are you okay?"

Mary nodded. He worried too much, but she couldn't blame him. The last five years had been an emotional rollercoaster ride for the two of them. Her need to be near him had increased since the day she went to his house. Marshall was the only thing keeping her afloat. He stood by her side through the wake and the funeral, kept her away from Mark to prevent any fights from interrupting the grieving process for all parties involved. Pulled her away from Mark and outside of the hall where they had dinner after the funeral when she began to hit Mark. Marshall held her through the nights as her shattered heart bled for the daughter she loved and lost. He refused to let her close her heart to him and somewhere along the way she'd realized that she'd fallen in love with him.

The first time she slept with him, she convinced herself it was her way of proving she could feel something. Before she knew it she was spending every night wrapped securely in his arms. It was a year after Norah's funeral when they got married in a simple service. While she still grieved for her daughter, Marshall had given her love that she couldn't deny. It was a rough first year of marriage as Marshall's nightmares about Norah tormented him. She didn't know why it had taken her that long to realize he was holding something back and the fights they had were plain cruel on her part. It was a miracle he stayed with her.

Marshall's next question stopped her mind from wandering again.

"Are the kids asleep?"

"Out cold. They asked about seeing their angel before our vacation."

"They know we're both sad. Kids can pick up on their parent's emotions. We aren't the best at hiding the pain this time of year."

"Did you pick a case?" Mary asked, changing topics. There would be plenty tears shed in the following days to come. She didn't want to dwell on it at the moment.

"I think so."

"Maybe you should stop. I'm not sure it's helping you."

"Those numbers play over and over in my head. If it helps one family it's worth it."

"It's not the numbers that are haunting you. While they're a part of it, there's still the secret you keep. I won't ask because you won't tell me. Part of me still wants to be angry about that, but I can't. Your nightmares alone tell me how bad the information is. Don't try to tell me something to cover it up. We both know that's what you'd be doing. I trust you and if you can't tell me, then I'll let it go for you. We have a good life together. I love you and our children and don't want this to destroy us."

"Mare, if I thought for one second that it would change things for the better, I'd tell you in a heartbeat. I love you and the kids; nothing is going to change that. I miss Norah. It hurts that she's gone. A part of me always wonders if I did enough. Was there a decision that I could've made differently that would've saved her? All of us have these questions. They don't disappear because we want them to. We've brought children into this world despite both of our fears. The only regret I have in this life is not finding Norah in time. I'm not sure that I can ever let that go."

Marshall closed his eyes and held onto Mary tightly as she hugged him. He knew what her words would be as soon as she was ready to talk. It gave him time to go back to that awful day.

_Marshall had gotten up as Mary slept. Tomorrow it would be a year since Norah disappeared. It would be a year of endless searching with nothing to show for it except heartache and fear. When they interviewed some of the people at the park, several had mentioned seeing a silver van parked near the entrance to the amusement park, but there wasn't anyone in it at the time. It was also where the dogs had followed Norah's scent to. _

_The amusement park was close to I25 which could take them into Texas and then Mexico. They had set up stops along the way with the description of the van. _

_Several volunteer search groups had covered the area near the amusement park. Marshall looked at his map. They had searched everywhere in Albuquerque for Norah, the mountains, parks, city landfills, by the river and nothing. It was when he thought of the mountains that it came to him. The one thing they hadn't checked. _

_Grabbing his cell he dialed an old familiar number. _

"_Detective Chaffee."_

"_Abigail, it's Marshall. I think I know what we missed. Can you arrange the cadaver dogs for tomorrow?" _

"_Sure, I'll need a location."_

"_East of Piedra Lisa Trail, that section of the trail is closed every year from March 1st thru August 15th to protect the wildlife. We never searched that area. It's the only place left for Norah to be in Albuquerque." _

"_Marshall, if she's there…" _

"_I know what it would mean, but at least we'll know. The not knowing is going to break us." _

"_Alright, I'll meet you there in the morning with the SAR team and the Forest Rangers." _

"It wasn't your fault. No one thought about that section of the mountains being closed off. You found Norah and brought her home."

Marshall nodded, but still couldn't let go of the guilt completely. He had learned to live with it for the last four years. It didn't matter how much time passed, he knew that guilt would stay with him for the rest of his life.

"Norah wasn't killed there either. That monster buried her there to hide the evidence. Thankfully he left you something to find him. I'm going to bed. Don't stay up all night. That's an order and not a request."

"I thought I was the boss."

"Only at work," Mary said, kissing Marshall before heading to their bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2

Marshall watched her head down the hallway and into their room. All of this thinking about Norah had him needing to check on their children. First he opened the door to two-year old Ryan Mitchell Mann, their first-born. Walking in, he tucked the blankets a little tighter around him before kissing him on the forehead and closing the door.

His next stop was their one year old daughter, Lily Cheyenne Mann. Walking over to her, he gently ran his fingers through her soft curly hair. Kissing her gently on the forehead he leaned against the door. Both of their children took after the Mann side of the family. Ryan was the miniature version of him and Lily was a combination of his Aunt Becky and his Mom.

As he passed by Ryan's room again on his way to his den, Marshall couldn't help but recall when they had found out Mary was pregnant.

_Mary walked through the door of their house looking pale._

"_Mare, what's wrong?" Marshall asked leading her to the sofa. _

_Mary tried to speak, but instead the tears began to flow down her cheeks and she clung to him before whispering. "There has to be a mistake. I can't do this again." _

"_Do what? Mare, you're scaring me. Please talk to me." _

_When he saw her pull back from him all he could think of was that she'd seen a little girl who reminded her of Norah. It would hit her so hard and suddenly sometimes. Marshall knew that feeling; he struggled himself as he'd watch mothers with their daughters through various ages and wondered what it would've been like for Mary and Norah. _

_She turned scared eyes up to his and it broke his heart. _

"_What's wrong?"_

_Mary pulled herself together for a conversation she knew was going to be hard and when a decision was finally reached it would end up causing pain no matter what the outcome. _

"_I had my doctor's appointment today." _

_Marshall nodded. She'd left work early to go to the appointment. _

"_Are you sick?" _

"_I'm pregnant. Marshall, I can't go through this again. There's no way that we can bring a child in this world knowing what can happen to them. I can't lose another child, Marshall. I won't survive it." Mary admitted the truth and was surprised to feel a sense of relief getting it off her chest. _

_Mary was watching his face waiting for his reaction. He knew the color must have drained from his face. He's always wanted to be a father, but could relate to Mary's fears after all they'd gone through with Norah's death. _

"_Marshall?" _

"_We've been careful," Marshall whispered. They had been too. It was too soon after losing Norah too even contemplate having children. The wounds were too raw. _

"_I thought so too, but we weren't on the anniversary." _

"_Mare, we need time to think this through. We're both scared. Can we think about this before making up our minds? This isn't a decision to be made out of fear." _

"_This isn't something that I can do. What happens if we go through with this and the same thing happens again? We can't always be there to protect our child. I never wanted another child. Not after what happened." _

"_There's no way to know what can or will happen if we bring this child into this world. Can you live with killing the child ourselves? Mare, you're petrified and I understand that. Every one that we know is more cautious about their children because of what happened. You were a great Mom to Norah and deep down you know that you loved being a Mom. It was hard work, but worth it. You told me that once." _

"_You want us to have this child." _

"_Yes, I think I do. I've always wanted children. We agreed that we'd wait before having them if we decided to, but we're not getting any younger. I'm not sure how or what it's going to be like. There will be things we need to figure out and I don't doubt that this will be the hardest thing we've ever done." _

"_Norah can't be replaced, Marshall." _

"_No she can't be. She'll always be loved by us. That doesn't mean that we can't love our child. If Norah were still here, how would you feel about giving her a sibling? Parents have more than one child and find a way to show them there love equally. I think you can do it, but you're scared. It's not a criticism Mary. After everything that happened it's a legitimate feeling. You've had your heart shattered once, but think about how you felt every time you held her and spent time with her. Is that something that you don't ever want to feel again or is it something you miss?" _

"_We'll think about it and talk more. I just don't want to do it any more today. Marshall, I love you, but I can't promise you that I can do this." _

"_I'm not asking for a promise, just some time to think it through. If it's something you can't do then we won't."_

Marshall touched Ryan's door at the memory. Mary had reluctantly agreed to have the child. He knew part of the reason was for him. She had tried so hard not to bond and let herself get close to the child that was growing inside her. When Ryan was born she didn't want to hold him at first, but Marshall had to go tell the family it was a boy and the nurse set him in Mary's arms.

Marshall remembered the sight as he walked back into the room. Mary's eyes filled with tears as she held him. It took less than five minutes before her instincts kicked in. She reached her hand out to Marshall and he grabbed it in support.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary laid in bed her hand resting on her abdomen. She hadn't told Marshall yet and Stan was going to shoot the two of them at this rate. One of them was always taking maternity leave. Mary did it first and then Marshall followed. It kept one of them with the kids and the other working. Although Stan really didn't have room to complain, they were still one of the best performing offices in the Marshal's Service.

Mary didn't honestly think she could have a child again after finding out she was pregnant the first time after Norah. Her heart couldn't take the pain of the loss, but Ryan and Marshall had changed that. Her husband's request to think about it had made her realize that having an abortion was out of the question. Norah had already taught her that she couldn't hand her own flesh and blood over to someone else. It was the reason that Ryan was kept. The only promise that she made to herself at that point was that the baby wouldn't capture her heart. She'd shelter herself from that. Famous last words, that's what that was.

The second the nurse put Ryan into her arms, her heart was gone. She couldn't resist those blue eyes any more than Marshall's. He was definitely a Mann. There was no doubt about it. She couldn't deny she loved him when he wrapped his hand around her finger. Marshall had been right. Her heart could love Norah and Ryan.

Mary remembered Marshall coming back into the room and the smirk on his face when he saw her with Ryan.

_Marshall had walked over to them and gently wiped the tear that slid down her face. _

"_I didn't want to be able to feel this way again," Mary admitted softly. _

"_Thank you, for loving me enough to do this. It wasn't your first choice, I know that." _

"_I couldn't. It wasn't just you. That feeling I had with Norah and being confused about giving her up all came back. I couldn't give him up. Marshall, what if our fear causes us to hurt him?" _

"_We're going to have to work on finding a balance in protecting him and trusting him. It won't be easy, but after all we've been through together, I know we can make it work. If one of us gets too over bearing the other will need to step in to remind the other about doing the right thing and not letting fear drive us."_

_Marshall kissed her tenderly on the forehead while gently stroking his son's cheek. _

"_I love both of you. I promise you this Mare; he'll always know his big sister. Norah won't be forgotten Mare," Marshall promised her that day. They kept Norah's pictures around and talked to the kids about her. Ryan and Lily called her their angel. They were still young, but as they grew older they'd remember the sister they never met, but would love as if they had. _

Mary briefly wondered if this one would resemble Marshall too or would it be a little blonde haired boy or girl who looked like her. It honestly worried her sometimes. If any of her children resembled Norah would she smother them with her fears or close herself off to them? Marshall was good at keeping her balanced, but now he was the one who would be off.

The looking for missing children took a toll on Marshall. When they found a body or nothing at all his nightmares became worse and his belief in good in others seemed to shatter for a little while. Mary had finally started making them take vacations away from everything to help. Where vacation was once considered a form of torture, it was now a welcome reprieve. They always went the weekend following May 25th and stopped by Norah's grave so Ryan and Lily could see their angel

They would rent a house on a private beach where they could enjoy spending time with Ryan and Lily. It was when they were most at peace with the world. It was probably because they were the only ones who existed in that moment in time. She loved to watch Marshall with Ryan and Lily. He was a great father. Mary never doubted that Marshall would be as he was a great uncle too.

Mary turned and looked at the clock. She'd give her husband another hour of searching information before getting him to come to bed. Mary couldn't help worry about Marshall; these next two weeks were going to be rough on him. He was a different man then normal, still loving, gentle and caring with their children and her, but there was a part of him that had become obsessed for lack of better word about trying to make things right for the missing children and their families. In some ways they were both different this week and pretending for their children that they were okay was sometimes very difficult, but they not only wanted to protect them from the outside world; they needed to protect them from their own personal demons that followed them since Norah died. It wouldn't be fair to Ryan or Lily otherwise. In seven more months they'd have another to protect.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall had narrowed his choices to two cases to look into over the next two weeks and hopefully be able to find the missing girls or help the police in their search. Often times he'd do his own investigating and when he found the child or if time ran out for him to be able to he, turned the information over to the police. They were grateful for anything they could use.

The first little girl that was missing was a four-year old with brown hair and blue eyes. It was a family abduction with the aunt and uncle being the people who took little Cara from her parents.

The second little girl was a five-year old with blonde hair and blue eyes. Rose was a stranger abduction. Marshall knew his choice was made the second he saw her picture. Rose reminded him so much of Norah that he couldn't let it go.

Marshall had scribbled notes when his eyes felt heavy. He meant to close them for only a few minutes as he knew after seeing Rose's picture his mind would take him back to that dreaded day, but sleep claimed him anyways along with the memory.

_Marshall had shown up as Abigail was talking to the forest rangers. Norah's case had caused the end of the tension between them and her. For a long time she'd blamed Mary for their breakup when Marshall hadn't even told Mary that he realized he had to call it off. It was probably the only good thing to happen. He looked as his ex-fiancée and knew it had been the right choice, but couldn't help admire her dedication to finding Norah. She'd put all their differences aside and searched endlessly for clues or leads to her whereabouts. _

_Marshall got out of the car and walked over to her. _

"_What's the plan?" _

"_The first team is already looking with the dogs and the next two teams are ready to go. Stan is with the first team. I figured each of us could go with the other two teams."_

"_I called Stan last night that's why he's here. Stan felt he needed to come here just in case. Which team do you want me to go with?" _

"_I'll let you choose." _

_Marshall remembered seeing the area that the second team was taking and decided to go with them. A part of his gut was telling him that Norah would be found there. He would always wish his gut had been wrong. _

_They had almost finished their section when the dogs picked up something. Marshall radioed it in and heard Stan telling him he was on his way to their location. It was one of two reasons Stan had come. If they found Norah, Stan wanted someone there with Marshall and the other was so Marshall didn't have to tell Mary alone. _

_Stan rushed up to Marshall as he continued to watch them dig in the ground. Stan had kept a close eye on him the entire time. The concern was written all over his face, but Marshall continued to stare and pray that it wasn't Norah. As much as he wanted her found, this wasn't what he wanted. _

"_Got something," one of the people digging called out._

_Stan grabbed his arm trying to stop him from looking. _

"_Let me do this, Marshall," Stan said _

"_I promised to bring her home. It's my responsibility." _

_Marshall moved forward and as he came to the shallow grave, he saw the teddy bear that he'd given Norah. He had to turn and walk away to keep from throwing up. No matter how hard he tried to prepare himself for this outcome, nothing prepared him enough. Marshall jumped when he felt the arm on his back. _

"_Breathe Marshall," Stan said trying to offer support while preventing him from breaking down. Mary and Marshall were going to need him to be strong for them. _

"_That's Sleepy bear. I gave her it for a gift. Norah took it everywhere she went." Marshall said, as the tears began to fall. _

"_I remember seeing the picture of Norah with that bear. Every one had it," Stan said fondly. _

"_Mary's never going to forgive me. I promised to bring Norah home." _

"_You're fulfilling that promise, Marshall. Just not the way all of us hoped for. Mary won't hate you, but she's going to need you to get through this. You're going to have to keep her from doing something stupid. I'd understand it, but it can't happen. I'm going to need you to promise me the same thing."_

"_I can't, don't make me lie to you Stan."_

"_Marshall, I'll pull you from the case. Technically there's no excuse for you being on it. I need to know that you can do your job." _

_Marshall pulled himself together before looking at Stan._

"_I promise you that the law will be followed. If the person responsible for this gives me a reason to kill them, I won't hesitate to pull that trigger."_

"_Understood. They're going to take her. Let's get going." _

_Marshall moved to the body bag and refused to let anyone else handle it. If this was Norah, then she needed to be taken home by someone who loved her. _

_/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\_

Mary noticed an hour had passed and Marshall still wasn't in their room. Getting up she headed to the den. He was sleeping in the chair, but his head was thrashing back and forth. Mary hurried over to him and began to shake his shoulder.

"Marshall, wake up," she said more urgently as he didn't wake up and there were tears sliding down his face. "Marshall, come on. Wake up."

His eyes flew open and they searched her out.

"I'm so sorry, Mare."

"Don't apologize for something that wasn't your fault. You brought her home and killed the bastard that took Norah away. I never blamed you."

"I didn't bring her home alive. Norah should be here with us. If I'd searched harder or went over the information better than she'd be here."

"Marshall Mann, you stop that now. If you'd done any more, I'd probably have had to bury both of you. All of us went over the information and none of us even considered him a suspect. Nothing pointed to him at all. He didn't even have a record or any complaints filed against him. The one thing I know is that you did everything in your power to find her. You worked beyond the point of exhaustion. I blame him for this, not you."

"You still blame Mark," Marshall said softly. He made sure not to make it sound harsh or judgmental.

"I can't forgive him for that. A part of me knows that he wouldn't have let Norah go on her own if he'd thought there was any chance of her getting hurt, but the other part of me knows that it only takes a second to lose a child. He was her father. It was his responsibility to keep an eye on her, to protect her and keep her safe. Somewhere down the line, I might be able to forgive him, but I'm not sure I can. You promised me that you'd bring her home and that is exactly what you did."

"Sorry, Mare. I wasn't trying to upset you."

"Marshall, I know that. It's not like Mark hasn't done a lot to help missing children since then. It doesn't change what happened. There's a reason that were better off being on opposite ends of the country. The anger comes back every time I see him. That's not really fair to either of us."

"Mark moved because he couldn't bear to see the look on your face that he blames for putting there. He made a mistake and knows it. The two of you have paid the most for that. A part of me doubts any of us will ever be free of the guilt. I just wish I could make what happened go away, to see Norah grow up, her be a big sister and hold her again. I miss her so much and know that it's only a fraction of what you feel."

Mary caressed his cheek before leaning in and kissing her husband.

"Sometimes I think you hurt more."

"Mare…"

Mary covered his mouth to stop him from talking.

"There is something that haunts you about Norah's case that you won't tell me about. I learned not to push you because it makes your nightmares worse. Over the years, it became clear to me that it's probably something that you feel I shouldn't know. You would've told me if you thought it would help me, but won't to protect me from whatever. I resented you because of it for a while, but I know, love and trust you more than anyone. If you can't tell me then I'll wait until you can or whatever happens. I'll even admit that I continually try to figure it out because that's who I am and knowing what it does to you. A part of me will always wonder what it is, but we have two children that need us and the one thing I've learned is that to hang onto the anger would do nothing more than destroy us. I don't want that for our family.

We're not perfect, Marshall. Hell you knew I was flawed before getting into this relationship. Things can't be changed or we both would've moved heaven and earth to do so. It's always going to hurt. No matter how much I hate it, it just is. It's never going to be fair or right and that is another thing that is. Hell, I never thought I'd have another child. Granted neither were planned, but I don't regret us having them. We're learning to not smother them, while still finding a way to protect them."

Marshall's hand reached out and caressed Mary's stomach at the mention of their children. They had been careful most of the time to use protection; both afraid of bringing a child into a world that could steal Norah from their lives. He had to admit that another reason was they'd feared that another child would feel like they were trying to replace her even though they knew they couldn't. It wasn't rational, but neither was someone purposefully hurting a child.

Ryan was conceived close to the second anniversary of Norah's disappearance and Lily around the second anniversary of Norah's funeral. He and Mary had a tendency to seek each other out more as those anniversaries neared. It was also the times they were less cautious about using protection as something reminded them about Norah and the need to find solace in each others arms outweighed their thoughts on protection. He briefly wondered if they had conceived again this year.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary watched Marshall's eyes as his hand traced over her. She knew full well where his mind was at now. The wonder that briefly lit up in them and the lost look told her he was thinking about Ryan and Lily. She reached down and covered his hand with hers.

"Yes, Doofus our annual tradition apparently holds true," she whispered.

The smile that lit his face warmed her heart.

"Three for three and Stan's going to shoot us at this rate," Mary added when Marshall didn't say anything.

"Are you okay with this?"

Mary couldn't help but smile at Marshall's question. He always asked before voicing his pleasure at the thought of another child.

"You were right when we found out about Ryan. Marshall, I love our children and while it still scares me to bring more into this world, I can't imagine not doing it. Sometimes I feel guilty and wonder how Norah would react. Then I see Ryan and Lily together and know that it's not wrong. Norah would have wanted us to be happy. She adored you and I know she loved me. We're going to have another child, but Marshall after this I don't want any more. We're not getting any younger. I want to have my tubes tied after this child is born."

"Mare, I never expected us to have another child after Ryan. I'm grateful every day for Ryan and Lily. I'll feel the same about this one and am fine with this being our last child. You've given me more than I ever hoped for."

Mary knew that he'd support her decision. Marshall still always wanted what was best for her. She was grateful that he made her stop and think about what to do when she was pregnant with Ryan. The second she held him, it felt right. Mary almost laughed at herself for thinking that she would be able to not love her son and would be able to step out of the way to let Marshall raise him.

"Time for bed, Marshall. You can go over those missing children's reports tomorrow.

You need your rest."

Marshall reluctantly agreed and started to shut down his computer. Mary watched him and knew that she'd be forcing him to bed every night for the next couple of weeks. He was relentless when it came to working these cases. It's why a part of her wanted him to stop. How much heartache could a man suffer through and still come out okay? The ones that ended with another child dead took a significant toll on her husband. Yet when he worked a case that had a happy ending he became the Marshall she'd known before Norah's death. His eyes lit up like they used to. She missed that look on his face. It would come out for her and his children, but unlike before it didn't last an entire day. It was beginning to happen more often and for that she was grateful, but she continued to worry about how this would affect him.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall spooned himself around Mary with one arm resting protectively over their unborn child. He listened to Mary's breathing as it slowed down as she slept. His mind going back to the Rose's photo and knew that it was going to be a rough night. It took a while but he finally settled enough to fall asleep with his dreams taking him back to the past.

_Stan drove them to Mary's house while Abigail went to talk to Mark. The drive was made in absolute silence with Stan casting concerned glances in his direction. _ _He didn't see anything that they passed by. His heart was racing at the thought of having to shatter Mary's world. Stan had offered to tell Mary, but Marshall knew better. The words had to come from him or it wouldn't be real. _

_They wouldn't have confirmation for sure until test were done, but with Sleepy bear being found Marshall was pretty sure it was her. Norah wouldn't let that teddy bear out of her sight. _

"_Marshall, we're here," Stan said softly, knowing that Marshall was lost in thought. _

"_I should've found her sooner. It's going to break her, Stan. I'm about to destroy her life." _

"_Marshall, look at me," Stan ordered. _

"_You are **not** the one who did this to Norah. No one has put as much time and effort into finding her than you. Mary knows this. Yes, her world is about to be shattered and you and I are going to be the ones to pull her through this. Mary will need you more than she's ever needed anyone. That doesn't mean that you have to suffer in silence. Norah may not have been your daughter, but you loved her just as much as you've love Mary. I'm here for you, too. Don't bury your grief inside while trying to help Mary with hers. I don't want you letting this destroy you either." _

_Marshall nodded as he saw Mary open the door. The second she saw his face he knew that she figured out something had happened. _

"_Tell me," Mary demanded, while backing up into the living room. _

_He told her what they had found and that they were waiting for the results to come back. Mary knew that it would be a week or two before they had anything. He caught her as her legs gave out and held her as she clung to his shirt while sobbing uncontrollably. _

_When Mary had cried herself to sleep, Marshall picked her up and carried her into her room. Laying her gently on the bed, he then wiped the tears he finally felt streaming down his face before turning to Stan. _

"_Marshall, you stay with her. I'll go back to the office and have Delia follow me over with your SUV. Don't leave her alone." _

"_Stan, her gun is in the safe along with her badge. Get them out of this house and make sure all information goes through me. I don't want Mary going after the person who did this," Marshall said, giving Stan the code to Mary's gun safe. _

_Marshall watched Stan walk out of the room to retrieve Mary's gun and he slid into the bed and lay down next to Mary. She shifted and curled up into him. Stan returned and covered the two of them up with a blanket, showing Marshall he had the items and then left the two alone. _


	3. Chapter 3

Mary woke to the feel Marshall trying to pull her closer to him. His nightmare was just getting started. It was his first reaction to whatever haunted him. She would have to snoop around and find out what case he chose to take. While a part of her desperately wanted to help these families with their missing children, her heart couldn't take it. The only thing she ever did was take a look at the child her husband focused on. The more they reminded him of Norah the worse the nightmares.

They were so extreme opposite in some sense of how they dealt with Norah's death. Marshall with his determination to find every missing child he could in honor of Norah. She on the other hand would watch the videos they had of Norah, go through pictures, talk to Ryan and Lily about their angle and wait for Marshall to come home before they went to visit Norah. When Marshall had forced her to see Shelly both before and after they found her little girl, she'd resented him. In the end, she had to be grateful to him. Talking to Shelley helped her out more than she cared to admit. She wished Marshall had done the same. There were times when the thought of calling Stan to have him talk to Marshall about what happened had often popped into her mind.

Gently running her finger through his hair, Mary whispered soothing words until Marshall finally calmed down some. It wouldn't last, she knew that, but for now it was enough. As she continued to reassure Marshall her mind drifted to the day she visited Shelley after not hearing from her partner for two days.

_Shelly placed the box of Kleenex in front of her as she had poured her heart out about Norah. The pain never seemed to subside and it seemed like all she ever did anymore was cry. When she looked into a mirror she didn't recognize the person staring back at her. _

"_Why do you blame yourself, Mary?" Shelley asked. _

"_I was her mother and am a marshal for Pete's sake. It was my job to protect her." _

"_Norah was with her father. You trusted him to watch her." _

_The anger flared through Mary's body. "That turned out to be a huge mistake. I should've never let her go with him to the amusement park. Norah didn't have to go there. We had another offer." _

"_Why didn't you take the offer up?" _

"_Mark called before Marshall did. We would've been at the ball game and she wouldn't be dead. He was her father, when she was born we were the only two people I trusted. When my father came back and Mark had let him near my daughter, I should've known better. I can't believe that I didn't trust Norah in Marshall's care at first."_

"You didn't trust your partner?" Shelley asked surprised.

"_I always trust Marshall. It's just he and Abigail were the perfect couple image and I didn't want Norah to be around what she'd never have with her parents. Mark was always a mistake from the time I married him to the time I slept with him" _

"_Did you regret Norah?" _

"_What the hell kind of stupid question is that? I loved my daughter. She made me feel things that I never thought I could. Norah was the best thing to happen to me." _

_Shelley had wisely moved away from that question. _

"_Why do you blame yourself?" she asked again._

"_I was at home when I could've gone with Mark or taken her with Marshall. He watched her like a hawk. No one was allowed near my bug when she was with her Uncle Marshall. He was so cautious with her." _

"_Why didn't you go with Mark?" _

"_I hate amusement parks, Mark wanted some Daddy and me time and I rather had been at the ballpark with Marshall. I decided to stay home and clean the house up. A three-year old can make such a mess. I decided to have a little me time. That's why she was alone with Mark, it's the reason she never came hone and why I had to bury my baby girl," Mary sobbed out. _

"_Mary, you said that you trusted Mark. You wouldn't have done that without him proving himself to you. The fact that you weren't there doesn't make it your fault. Wanting a little me time isn't a crime or the reason that Norah died. The person that took her is the reason she's dead." _

_Mary shook her head no. _

"_You've build a career on protecting people and it's hard to accept, but you can't always protect everyone. What about Marshall? Is it his fault he couldn't find her? Do you blame him for not insisting you go to the baseball game?"_

"_Marshall did everything he possibly could to find her. You didn't see him. He wasn't sleeping unless I made him. Marshall was the reason I keep going. If it weren't for him I would've…" _

_Shelly picked up on the way Mary stopped. _

"_You would've what?" _

"_I would've joined Norah," Mary fiercely swiped the endless tears. "Marshall made Stan take my gun away and switched the code so I couldn't get to his. I'm not sure what worried him more, me killing the bastard who murdered my daughter or taking my life." _

"_Did you try to find the man who killed Norah?" _

"_Yes, but Marshall kept Delia with me when he couldn't be. I couldn't go out to hunt him down and make him pay for what he'd done. That monster deserved to die a slow agonizing death."_

"_How did that make you feel?" _

"_Angry. I was livid at Marshall. The things I said to him after all he'd done were unfair and cruel. It hurt him to hear me say them. His eyes showed the pain." _

"_What happened next?" Shelley asked knowing Mary had to deal with all of her fears. _

_Mary had been broken when she'd first started coming. For the first few sessions Mary barely uttered a word. The third session the shell cracked and she'd wept, screamed and yelled until Shelley had made Marshall come in to prevent Mary from hurting herself. _

_The session after that something had changed. Mary knew fear had brought her here. She had once again taken her pain out on Marshall. He stayed until she cried herself to sleep, but it had been three days and still no Marshall. Her heart couldn't take it if he left her. It's how she ended up in this office. _

"_Marshall's been gone for three days and hasn't called or stopped by." _

"_Have you tried calling him?" _

"_It goes to voicemail. Marshall hasn't answered any of the messages. I can't do this if he's not here. I can barely do this with him." _

_Mary left the appointment and drove home. The silence in the house was eerie. She called Marshall again, but he never picked up. She grabbed the shirt Marshall had left when he changed in the guest room and put in on before picking up Norah's blanket and stuffed horse. _

_Placing her cell phone on the table she curled up in a fetal position before once again breaking down in tears. The pain was overwhelming and she didn't know if she could continue to deal with it on her own. _

_Five long days passed of sleepless nights and nightmares for Mary and still no Marshall. Her heart froze in fear as all the reasons for him not to come back played through her mind. What if something happened to Marshall while looking for Norah's killer? How could she live with the fact that she caused them both to die. _

"_Mare?"  
_

"_Marshall," whispered not loud enough for him to hear, but it was enough to get her moving towards the living room. _

_As long as she lives, she'd never forget the haunted look in his eyes or the pain he couldn't hide. It was like someone had sucked the life right out of him. _

"_Mare, I'm sorry it's been so long," Marshall said, stepping closer to Mary as she entered the room._

_Mary threw her arms around Marshall and clung onto him. _

"_I thought something happened to you. Where the hell have you been Marshall?" _

_Marshall's arms wrapped around her tightly and he closed his eyes before whispering. _

"_I found the bastard who hurt Norah. He won't hurt anyone ever again. Mare, I don't feel bad at all about taking his life. Is Norah going to be ashamed of me for that?" _

"_No, Marshall. He hurt her and you stopped him from hurting any other children. Norah would never be ashamed of you. Are you in trouble?" _

"_Clean shoot. He tried to shoot us and I shot him before he could fire." _

"_You've chased him for the last five days?" Mary asked, finally pulling back from Marshall._

"_I chased him," Marshall replied without elaborating._

"_What aren't you telling me?" _

"_I'm just tired, Mare. It's been a long year."_

_Mary nodded and led Marshall into her room._

Mary looked down at Marshall and planted a kiss to his forehead. It was Marshall's constant support that had helped her to continue living. She had called him when the grief was too much to bear. He held her night after night comforting her and eventually loving her. He showed her they could endure the pain and continue to move forward while never forgetting Norah. Shelley had helped her in some aspects, but Marshall had by far done the most. She would be eternally grateful to him for not giving up on her.

The only thing that still concerned her was sometimes it felt like she had healed more after Norah's death than Marshall. She had tried to get him to talk to someone about what he went through, but Marshall continued to refuse. It was as if they did a role reversal on that aspect. Marshall was different since he found Norah. It was the one thing she couldn't deny. Mary felt the two of them changed the most since Norah's death or maybe it was just because they were together that it stood out more to her, she wasn't really sure.

Mary linked her hand with Marshall's over her stomach and finally fell asleep.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall's nightmares had brought him back to the evidence that led them to Randall Brandt, Norah's murderer.

_The forensics team had discovered a dark hair on Sleepy bear along with a fingerprint to go with it. Luckily for them, the security company which he worked at required them to be fingerprinted for the job. _

_Marshall and Delia called Abigail before heading to Randall's house after running him through the system and calling the security firm that he worked for. He had been assigned to the amusement part the day of Norah's disappearance and had requested to leave early. While he didn't own a silver van, apparently someone he knew did and had lent it to him because his car had broken down that day. _

_Marshall and Delia approached the house and knocked on the door. _

"_U.S. Marshal's open up," Marshall called out before kicking the door in. _

_Marshall and Delia swept the kitchen and living room and came up empty. Marshall signaled to Delia to follow him as they headed down the hallway. Part way to the last bedroom on the right, they could hear the sirens coming. _

"_Get out of my house," Randall screamed from the back room. _

_Marshall heard the sound of what sounded like a gun being loaded. He signaled to Delia to let her know. He also heard footsteps coming towards the front door and Abigail identifying herself. It was the second voice that surprised him. Marshall didn't know Stan was in town. _

_It was the slight distraction that had Delia tackling Marshall to the floor as a bullet whizzed by them. Marshall rolled onto his back as Randall came out and aimed at Delia. _

"_Randall, put the gun down," Marshall ordered._

"_I'm not going to jail," Randall said and moved his finger to squeeze the trigger _

_Marshall aimed and fired before Randall could. _

"_Marshall! Delia!" Stan shouted out. _

"_We're fine, Stan," Marshall replied, getting up and moving towards Randall. "We need a bus." _

_Randall wouldn't make it. Marshall was sure of that. The bullet he shot must have hit something major. Marshall wanted answers. _

"_Why? Why did you take Norah? Why did you kill her? She was just a little girl." _

_Randall looked at him and smiled. _

"_You'll spend the rest of your life trying to figure that out, won't you?" Randall managed to say. _

_Stan heard the comment and grabbed Marshall before he could attack the dying man. _

"_Marshall, he's not worth it. Go check the rest of the house for anything." _

"_Stan…" _

"_That's an order Chief." _

_Marshall stormed past Stan and headed towards the kitchen. He leaned against the counter trying to get his anger under control. It was as he was leaning against the sink his eyes caught something outside that didn't fit it. The backyard was flat except one area. So caught up in the sight that was bothering him, he jumped when Stan rested a hand on his back. _

"_He's dead."_

"_Good," Marshall replied, knowing it sounded bad. "I can't care that he is. He deserved what he got for killing Norah." _

"_Marshall, I'm not judging you. Killing him was self-defense in this case. You didn't break the law. What are you looking at?" Stan asked, realizing Marshall's attention kept straying to a place outside. _

"_It's not right?" _

"_What isn't?" _

"_That area is different then the others," Marshall replied, pointing the spot out to Stan. _

_Stan looked to the area as Marshall headed out the back door. Marshall was right. The one section was out-of-place. He followed Marshall into the backyard. _

_On the outside, other than sticking up a little more from the rest of the yard, nothing seemed wrong. Marshall knelt and ran his hands over the area looking for something that would explain the anomaly in Randall's backyard. As he swept his hand through the sand he hit what felt like a handle and a deadbolt. _

_The second Marshall's hand hit the deadbolt he began to move the sand off the area until a door with a deadbolt on it was discovered. He quickly undid the deadbolt and opened the door. _

"_We're going to need a flashlight," Stan said, before seeing Delia and sending her for one. _

_Marshall pulled out his key chain and used the LED light on it to start down the stairs. His hand accidentally bumped a switch on the wall and he flicked it up making the room light up. _

"_Stan, we don't need the flashlight."_

_Marshall could hear Stan coming down the stairs. The room was made up of solid cement. In the corner of the room was an old handkerchief that was wound tight. It would effectively prevent a child from screaming. _

_Marshall walked over towards a table that was in the room and noticed an old tape recorder with a tape in it. Putting a glove on he hit the play button and would forever be haunted by what he heard. _

"_Daddy, Mommy, where are you. I'm scared Mommy. Mommy I want you. Mommy please. Uncle Marshall I need you. You promised. I need you, you come. Uncle Marshall I's scared," Norah's tear filled please ripped through Marshall's heart, but the tape continued. _

"_Quiet little one. You'll disturb the neighbors." _

"_Said Mommy was hurt. Want Mommy and Daddy." _

"_Mommy and Daddy are gone. I'm going to take care of you now."_

"_No! Uncle Marshall love me. He take care of me. You go away," Norah said. "Uncle Marshall please need you." _

_A scream pierced the air and then silence. _

_Stan moved over to the tape recorder and shut it off. His concern immediately went to Marshall whose face lost all its color and tears poured down her face. He felt the bile rise in his throat and hurried outside and threw up. _

_Stan, Delia and Abigail moved over to Marshall. _

"_Mary can't ever hear that Stan. It would kill her. She can't know about that tape." _

"_Marshall, we can't get rid of the evidence." _

"_I'm not asking you to do that. Just make sure when she comes to look and you know she will, that the tape isn't in the same box." _

"_I'll talk to my boss and see what we can do," Abigail said, not knowing what was on the tape, but knowing by Marshall's reaction it wasn't something Mary should hear. _

_They all agreed to not mention the tape to Mary and to see what they could do to prevent her from ever getting her hands on it. _

"_Marshall, take the rest of the day off," Stan ordered. _

"_Can I have the rest of the week? I need to go somewhere to get myself together before seeing Mary. I won't tell you where I'm going. She'll find out and I'm not ready to face her."_

"_Marshall, look at me. You didn't do anything wrong. Mary won't blame you. I realize you need time in order for her not to realize you're holding out on her, but don't you dare take the blame for this. I'll let Mary know we found Norah's killer."_

"_Don't tell her that I went away. Just tell her you don't know where I am. It won't be a lie."_

Marshall shot straight up in bed. His breathing completely erratic and a scream caught in his throat. He went to raise his hand to wipe the tears from his eye when he realized that it was in Mary's grasp. Leaning over he made sure that he didn't wake her up before easing his hand out of hers and heading into the bathroom. Splashing cold water on his face he stared in the mirror.

His nightmares were getting worse and he knew Mary was concerned. She had often asked him to talk to Shelley, but he didn't want to. He never wanted to talk about what happened at Randall's home. It wasn't something he wanted to remember much less talk about. Deep down he knew that he probably should and at some point Mary would insist.

Mary had come so far in the last five years and he was so proud of her. He felt he'd made progress, but not as much as Mary. He was fine most of the year, but certain dates haunted him. He hoped that he could find Rose. While he knew she wasn't Norah, he needed to find this little girl. There had to be hope for her. If this ended in tragedy, Marshall wasn't sure that his heart could take it.

Stan, Mary and his parents had all told him he needed to stop. Something inside of him wouldn't let him. It felt like this was the only way to make things up to Norah.

Marshall turned to head back to bed when he saw Mary leaning against the door.

"Are you okay?" Mary asked closing the gap.

Marshall nodded. "Sorry if I woke you."

Mary cupped Marshall's cheek. "What do you need?"

Marshall pulled her into his arms and buried his head into the crook of her neck before whispering.

"You, I need you."

"Marshall, you already have me."

Marshall kissed her as he steered her back to the bed.

"Love me tonight," Marshall's whispered plea reached her ears.

"I'll love you every night for the rest of our lives."

"Show me," Marshall pleaded.

Mary nodded, knowing full well Marshall needed to find comfort in her arms.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary traced her fingertips across Marshall's bare back. He fell into a deep sleep finally and she couldn't. When she woke alone in the bed and heard the water running in the bathroom Mary knew that Marshall had a really bad nightmare.

She remembered what those were like. The five days she waited for him to come back after Stan told her they found Norah's murdered, had been filled with nightmares and fears. Stan had reassured her that nothing happened to Marshall. Her mind took her back to those days waiting for Marshall.

_Mary found herself wandering through the house and ending up in Norah's room. Sitting in the rocking chair she slowly rocked letting tears of pain slide down her face as she hummed Norah's favorite song. Eventually she ended up falling asleep in the chair. _

_In her dreams, she found herself back at the amusement park. She was running around looking frantically in every ride, game, restroom and anywhere else a little girl could hide. Marshall suddenly appeared next to her and then he was gone. _

_She heard Norah and Marshall both calling for her and no matter how hard she tried to get to them she couldn't find them. _

"_Marshall! Norah!" Mary woke up screaming and trembling. _

_Getting out of the rocking chair she headed her room and grabbed her cell phone. She hit speed dial one and it went into voice mail. _

"_Marshall, I know something is wrong. I need you to talk to me. Nothing is bearable unless you're here. Please, please don't leave me to. I need you. Marshall, come home. We'll get through this together. I need you to get through this. Call me or just show up. It doesn't matter what time of day or night. Just show up."_

Mary remembered the desperation in her voice. She had been so scared of losing Marshall too. At the time, it was still hard to force herself up every morning to face the day. Marshall got up early in the mornings to make sure she had breakfast and cooked supper for her also. He was her only source of comfort and the only person she wanted around. Marshall had never run before. Stan didn't know where and she knew he wasn't lying.

Mary once again ran her hand over Marshall's back. The day he showed up on her door she'd never been so relieved. The nights after were hard as he woke up with severe nightmares. When they were married and the nightmares seemed more frequent he still refused to talk about them. His refusal to talk infuriated her and led to many arguments between the two. She'd spent the better part of two years arguing on and off with him about it. Marshall refused to relent and she hated the toll it was taking on him and them.

She really needed to get him to talk to someone. He couldn't continue this way. She needed him and so did their kids.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day Marshall gathered up the information he had on Rose's disappearance and had arranged a meeting with her parents, planned on going over the abduction site, physical evidence and talking to the detective in charge of the case.

Packing up his gear he headed into the kitchen where he could hear the kids and Mary.

"Daddy!" Ryan said excited.

"Hey buddy," Marshall replied, kissing the top of his son's head while grabbing Lily from Mary. "How's my poohbear?"

Mary smiled at the sight and remembered how Marshall made sure not to call Lily his princess. That was his nickname for Norah and he'd been worried what she'd think. In all honesty, she herself had taken to calling her nothing that resembled bug. She felt it wasn't fair to either of her daughters.

"What's on the agenda for the three of you today?" Marshall asked.

"Your parents are stopping by to take the kids to the zoo or aquarium. I'm going to take my day off and relax by the pool," Mary said. "What time do you think you'll get home?"

"Not sure. I'll call and let you know when I have a better idea."

"Give me our little pooh bear and I'll get her ready for your parents. Can you clean Ryan up?"

Marshall nodded in agreement as he handed Lily back to Mary before grabbing a washcloth to wash Ryan's face and hands.

Mary came out a little while later with Lily and the supplies his parents would need. Marshall kissed all three of them and headed out the door.

Mary watched the SUV back out of the driveway and sighed. She held Lily a little closer and listened to Ryan giggling at the cartoon he was watching. Sitting down behind Ryan on the sofa they waited for Marshall's parents to arrive.

It was funny how much she trusted them to keep an eye on the kids. Seth being a consultant for the Marshall Service was still carrying a gun and badge. His eye for detail hadn't diminished and they had left the kids with them enough that Mary trusted them. It wasn't like Seth hadn't raised three sons and she knew the lengths Seth would go to protect Marshall.

Mary remembered when he'd confronted her about their pending nuptials.

_Marshall had gone into the office and she had taken the day off for her dress fitting. Mary was drinking a cup of coffee when the doorbell rang. Looking through the peek hole and seeing Seth, she opened the door. _

"_Mary, may I come in?" Seth asked. _

_Mary nodded and moved to the side to let Seth pass. _

"_You just missed Marshall. I can call him to let him know you're here."_

"_Actually, I'm here to talk to you." _

"_About?" Mary asked puzzled. _

"_Marshall." _

"_What about Marshall?" _

"_I need to know the reason that you're marrying my son. He's loved you for a long time. I tried hinting to him that Abigail wasn't the one he wanted to come home to. He didn't listen at first. I told you he had a mind-set of his own."_

"_What the hell do you mean by the reason? There's only one reason you marry someone." _

"_There's only one right reason to marry someone. Mary he loves you with all his heart. I don't want to upset you, but you lost your daughter almost two years ago. Marshall has been you constant companion since then. I know he's been here for you night and day. It's where he wanted to be to support you. The two of you depended on each other to get through that difficult period. What I'm asking you is, are you marrying Marshall for love or because you're trying to fill a void in your life?" _

"_I would never do that to Marshall. Seth, you liked Abigail. She's the kind of woman who you wanted for your son. I'm a messed up wreck that seems to destroy everything good thing that I touch. My upbringing wasn't normal, my family has had many issues, I've made some bad choices in my life, but Marshall isn't one of them. Somewhere along this horrid path we've traveled I realized that Marshall meant the world to me. I love him with all of my heart. I'd never do anything to break his." _

"_Make sure that you don't, Mary. I won't take kindly to you hurting my son. Don't mistake this conversation as me not welcoming you to our family either. I will welcome you with open arms, because you make my son happy. I just need you to make sure that this if for the right reason. You'll destroy him if you leave him."_

_Mary had been pissed at first, thinking Seth was going to confirm that she still wasn't sure she was good enough for Marshall. It was when it dawned on her that Seth was trying to protect Marshall the anger dissipated._

"_There was a reason it took me a week to give Marshall my answer. I went through every reason in my head why I wasn't good enough for him. Many people consider me selfish and in this instant they'd be right. I love him to much to not hang on to him to allow him a better life with a more suitable wife. You don't have to worry about me leaving Marshall. It would destroy me if he wasn't in my life, by my side or my husband." _

"_Good, I'll see you tomorrow at dinner," Seth replied before walking out the door. _

Mary was brought back to the present by the sound of two car doors closing. Seth and Ellen had moved to Albuquerque shortly after Ryan was born. Surprisingly it was Seth's idea. He wanted to make up the time he lost to Marshall and work on their relationship. Seth and Ellen also wanted to be near their grandchildren.

"Mary, it's good to see you," Seth said as Ellen went straight for their grandchildren. "Some things never change."

"They love the both of you as much as you love them. You missed Marshall; he left a little while ago."

"How's he doing?" Seth asked concerned.

"The usual for this time of the year. I can't get him to open up to me or convince him to go see someone to talk about it."

"Mary, I don't think Marshall will ever tell you about what happened. It's his way of protecting you from what's haunting him. He loved her just as if she were his own flesh and blood. Nothing will change that. In his mind he failed you and Norah. Now he seems to need to make up for not finding her alive. We've all tried to talk to him, but he won't open up."

"Stan won't tell me anything either, I've tried. I'm going to talk to him again about getting Marshall to see someone. If he can't talk to us then he needs to find someone to open up to."

"We'll make sure that he's okay," Seth promised before changing the topic. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us to the aquarium?"

"Positive, I have some things that need to get taken care of. Seth, if things get bad, would you and Ellen be willing to watch the kids over night?"

"The nightmares have already started?"

"Yeah, and if they get severe I don't want to scare the kids."

"We'd be more than happy to. You know Ellen loves it when they're over. A sleepover would put her in seventh heaven. If you need help with Marshall, call me."

Mary nodded as she kissed the kids before they left. She waved to them as they drove off before heading into Marshall's den. While booting up his computer, she began to dig around the desk drawers. It was in there she found Norah's memorial card from the funeral home.

Picking it up she her fingers skimmed lovingly over the picture of bug. She wasn't sure why he had one in his desk when there was one in his wallet that she discovered on accident. For Marshall, it was probably a reminder of Norah and his perceived failure to find her daughter alive. She had tried to remove it from his wallet, but he'd taken it and put it back. It didn't matter how many times she explained to him that it wasn't his fault. Marshall didn't seem to be able to register that fact. It's what concerned her the most. One of these years, he'd find someone who looked or reminded him of Norah and no matter what the outcome it would shatter Marshall.

Mary set the card down and continued to go through Marshall's desk when she came across a package of photos. Opening it up, she found pictures from Norah's first birthday. It was the one where she was given Sleepy bear.

_Mary hated birthday parties, but she put aside her discord to give Norah the kind of birthday she deserved. Jinx and Mark had insisted that they go with some damn theme for the party. Mary nixed all the overly girl ones and finally settled on a ladybug themed party. It wasn't too frilly and her daughter wouldn't have to be tortured. The guest list was small, but Norah wouldn't remember it anyways. _

_Mary had made sure to invite Marshall, he had been rather lost since he and Abigail called off the wedding. She extended the olive branch to him by asking him to join her for lunch two weeks ago. They were slowly beginning to rebuild their friendship. Oddly enough it was Marshall who was the most insecure in fixing things._

_The doorbell rang and Mary smiled. Jinx, Mark, Joanna, Brandi and her son Shay were already at the party. That left Marshall. She wished he felt more comfortable about just walking into her house like he used to. Mary wasn't dumb, he felt guilty for the speech on the balcony. It was stupid and she tried explaining to him that he was trying to make it work with Abigail. There weren't any hard feelings any more. It had hurt that could be admitted, but she understood it. _

"_Come on in, Doofus. The party is just warming up. You're job is to rescue me and Norah from her crazy relatives if they go too far with the gushing crap." _

"_Understood. Where do you want me to put her gift?" Marshall asked, trying not to feel like an intruder. _

"_Toss it on the table with the others. We're just about to have some cake before opening the gifts."  
_

_Marshall did as requested and followed Mary into the kitchen. His awkwardness forgotten the second Norah reached her hands up to him. _

"_Hi Princess," Marshall greeted Norah while placing a kiss on her cheek. _

_Mary watched as Norah patted Marshall's cheeks with her hands. She had always adored Uncle Marshall. Norah took to him from the day she was born. Norah adored her Uncle Marshall and had no problem letting him know. It was good for Marshall too. The smile and warmth that she'd always associated with her partner showed up for her daughter. _

_They had moved the party to the living room and Norah began to open the gifts. Well technically she opened the gifts and Norah played with the boxes and wrapping paper until Marshall's gift was open. Her eyes got big and she grabbed the little teddy bear dressed in pajamas and held onto him while Mary finished the rest of the gifts. _

_Jinx had wanted to try on one of Norah's shirts and when she moved to take away the bear Norah screamed and began to cry until Jinx gave the bear back. Mary then tried to take the bear away and had the same reaction. _

"_Well Marshall, I think we can safely say she likes the bear." _

"_Mare, Mary, I'm sorry, I didn't…" _

"_Marshall, it's not an issue. How could you possibly know she'd take to it so quickly?" Mary asked, not missing the way he corrected calling her by his usual name for her._

_The others left the room sensing Mary wanted to talk to Marshall. _

"_Marshall, wait here a minute while I put Norah to bed and read her a story." Mary ordered. _

"_Can I?" Marshall asked, signaling to Norah. _

"_Of course," Mary said, watching Marshall as he walked Norah down the hallway and to her bedroom. _

_Mary walked into the kitchen letting the guests know that Norah was being put down and asked them to give her and Marshall some time before they came out. Once they agreed, Mary headed to the bedroom and leaned on the door frame as Marshall rocked back and forth in the rocking chair while singing to her daughter. _

_When he had finished the song, Mary watched Marshall lay Norah in her crib and softly stroke her hair. _

"_Love you, Princess," he whispered softly. _

"_I forgot you know how to sing," Mary said, when he looked up._

"_I don't really do it all that often." _

"_It's a shame. You have a good voice." _

"_Why do I get the feeling that's not what you want to talk to me about?" _

_"Probably for the same reason that I have the feeling you're about to try and bolt out of here now that Norah is asleep."_

_Marshall looked away from her and she realized that he had no clue where he fit into her life other than being Norah's honorary Uncle._

"_You realize that you're still my best friend. I'll admit I was hurt when we had our conversation on the balcony, but I understand trying to reach for the life you wanted or something that resembles normal." _

"_It was unfair and cruel." _

"_I'd say it was necessary for you. Marshall, all you wanted was to be happy. I get that. Abigail wasn't the one for you and you both realized it. I still want us to be friends and you to not be so damn awkward around me. I miss being called Mare and I expect you to be calling me that again." _

"_I'm not as good of a friend as I once thought I was." _

"_You're a lot better at it than I am. Marshall, just consider it a rough patch we went through. If you really feel the need to make up for things then stay for a while tonight and after the rest go home we can have a pizza and movie night. It's been a long time." _

"_I'd like that, Mare." _

Mary smiled at the pictures of Marshall holding and playing with Norah. He adored her just as much as Norah did him. That day had put their friendship back on track.

Mary shook her head and not seeing anything in the drawers, turned her attention to the computer. Typing in his password Mary began look for the folder he's have his list in. She was pretty sure he didn't know about the searches on his computer that were conducted by her. At first it had been her looking for what he'd withheld from her about Norah, but that was nowhere to be found. Searching through his folder marked May 25th, knowing that would be where the list was stored. He always started with ten names and worked it down from there.

Mary found the name that was marked with an asterisk and looked the girl's name up in the computer. When the picture of Rose Taylor came up on the screen, Mary felt like her heart had stopped. Seeing the little girl reminder her so much of Norah it stole her breath away. Once she recovered, she realized her worries about Marshall were coming true. Marshall was still struggling with Norah's death. She feared what this would do to him. Taking a calming breath she began to read the information on Rose.

Rose had disappeared three years ago from a local store. Her baby brother had climbed out of the cart and began to run down the aisle. Rose's Mom had gone to get him back. When she came back Rose was nowhere to be found.

"Oh, Marshall," Mary whispered before calling Stan.

She didn't think Marshall would respond to Seth telling him to stop this case, but maybe Stan could help. Stan had the missing piece of the puzzle of that Mary was sure. He also might be the only one Marshall would listen to. Grabbing her phone she called Stan.

"McQueen."

"Stan, you need to talk to Marshall," Mary said, without any greeting.

"What's wrong?" Stan asked, wondering what had Mary sounding so desperate.

"I've been supportive of his need to find missing kids, but this one has the potential to break him. What I need you to do is talk some sense into my husband."

"Mary, he looks every year. I know that Norah's death is never far from his mind and that he struggles more with May 25th coming up. What's different about this time?"

"I've sent you a picture of the girl he's looking for," Mary replied, before her cell phone began to ring. "Stan, I'll call you back in a few minutes. I've got a call I have to take."

Mary hung up after Stan agreed.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan sighed after Mary's call. Marshall had never been the same after Norah and he couldn't blame Marshall not after everything they'd gone through in finding Norah and Randall.

Stan wasn't dumb and was aware Mary knew that there was something no one talked about. She was well aware he knew also, but she didn't push after watching Marshall struggle so badly with it. Stan could relate, he had nightmares of what he heard on that tape also and couldn't imagine how much worse he'd feel if Norah had mentioned him.

Clicking on the email, he waited for the image to load and instantly knew Mary's concerns after seeing the little girl. Stan knew no matter what the outcome this case could destroy Marshall. The tape had done enough damage. He had not only watched Marshall at work, but made Marshall check out of the hotel he'd been in for the first three days and stay at the rental house he was using while in Albuquerque.

Stan couldn't stand leaving Marshall at the hotel once he discovered where Marshall was. He had made sure to stop by and brought supper to Marshall. Delia had been making sure to pick lunch up during the office hours that Marshall was confined to the desk for. Stan highly doubted Marshall would've eaten otherwise.

Mary didn't know how close they came to losing Marshall to the guilt and the grief. Stan did and the sight that greeted him at the hotel on the third night would haunt him for the rest of his life. The fact that he hadn't mentioned to anyone might be one of the biggest regrets of his life, but Stan couldn't do that to Marshall. He had stayed longer than intended because of the incident to make sure Marshall was as okay as he could be under the circumstances. His thoughts took him back to that day.

_He stared at Marshall as he headed into the elevator. Marshall had looked like he aged fifty years without sleeping at all. The only reason Marshall was allowed in the office was because of the fact that he was worried about Marshall. Stan had filled in while Marshall was being evaluated by Shelley. He made arrangements with the Director to stay in Albuquerque due to the circumstances. _

_Shelley had called Stan to tell him that Marshall was coming to the appointments. He was talking about what was required and she couldn't keep him from his job. With Marshall being the chief, he wasn't out in the field and she could clear him fit to do his job. Shelley mentioned that she was concerned that Marshall was internalizing everything that happened to protect and be there for Mary. _

_Stan waited about twenty minutes instead of the hour he normally waited after Marshall left before heading out to bring him supper. Something about the way Marshall had acted that day had bothered him until his instincts took over and sent him following. _

_Stan parked outside of Marshall's room and took out the keycard he swiped the other day and headed to the room. Not knowing why he decided not to knock this time, he let himself into the room. _

_The sight that greeted him made his blood run cold. Marshall sat with his back against the wall, tears pouring down his face, a picture in one hand and his Glock in the other. Setting their supper down he moved slowly towards Marshall, concerned if he moved to quickly he'd scare Marshall._

"_Marshall, what's going on?" Stan asked, softly while indicating that he wanted to know about the gun. _

_Marshall looked at the gun, then to the photo before turning his eyes to Stan. _

"_I failed them, Stan. I can't ever make up for it. She called for me. She expected me to find her and protect her. It was my job to bring her home to Mary. Mary trusted me to do that and I didn't."_

"_Why is your gun out?" _

"_I wanted to stop hearing Norah's voice calling to me. Every time I try to close my eyes, I hear her telling me that she's scared and I promised. It's a promise I made to Norah a long time ago. She was having a bad dream about being lost and not finding her way home. I told her if she was ever lost that I'd find her and she wouldn't be alone. Norah crawled into my lap hugged me and told me that she loved me. That's the most important promise that I've ever broken." _

_Stan ached for Marshall. He should've removed him from the case and had someone else looking for Norah. If he'd realized the damage it would do to Marshall he would've._

"_Marshall, give me the gun," Stan ordered and was relieved to watch Marshall hand it over without a fight. _

_Stan was about to say something, but Marshall spoke up. _

"_I wanted to make it stop, but Mary wouldn't forgive me if I'd done it. She wouldn't survive another blow now. It was selfish of me. I realized that I need to get it together. Mary's worried because I haven't been around. It hurts to know that I failed her and yet she still needs me."_

"_Mary does need you, Marshall. She needs you more now than ever before. Mary isn't the only one who needs you Marshall. We all do. I'm glad you realized that Mary does, but she's not the only one._

_There was nothing more that you could've done for Norah. You searched everywhere that was plausible for Norah to be. The fact that you remember the section of the woods was closed off helped us bring her home. Mary will not spend the rest of her life wondering what happened to Norah. She won't constantly be looking at every blond-haired girl wondering if that could be her. _

_You're the one who found Randall. He paid for his crime. I know he didn't tell you what you wanted to know, but you got him and that matters. No other child will ever be hurt by him."_

_Marshall nodded and started to hand Stan his badge. _

"_No, you keep that. We'll keep this incident between the two of us and I'll have a friend who is a psychiatrist talk to you off record until the two of us are comfortable enough to give you your gun back." _

His administrative assistant knocking on his door brought him back to the present. He answered her question and then his phone rang.

"Mary, I'll talk to him plus see if I can work on getting some time off to visit the both of you and those grandkids of mine. If I have to, I'll make it an extended business trip."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall pulled up to Maggie and James Taylor's home. They knew he was coming. The detective in charge explained to them that Marshall tried to help find missing children when he had a chance.

Taking a deep breath he stepped out of his car and nodded to the neighbor that was keeping a close eye on him until he saw the badge. They were cautious of strangers. It's sad that it takes something like a missing child for people to pay closer attention. He still remembered growing up in a neighborhood where the neighbors knew and talked to each other. It seemed like some of that was disappearing over the years or maybe he'd become more jaded since Norah.

Marshall went up to the door and rang the doorbell. The door swung open to show a woman in her thirties with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Mrs. Taylor?"

"Yes," the woman answered and then noticed the badge. "You must be the marshal that Detective Collins mentioned would be stopping by."

"U.S. Marshal Marshall Mann. Is this a good time?"

"I thought Detective Chaffee, I mean Collins was kidding when she said your name was Marshall. I keep forgetting she got married six months ago."

"Most people question the name thing. I've become used to it."

"Please come in. My husband is putting our son down he's had a cold."

"How old is he?" Marshall asked.

"Six. Do you have any children?"

"Two, we're expecting our third in seven months," Marshall said hesitantly. He always wanted to include Norah.

"Congratulations, how old are you're other two?"

Marshall knew she was making small talk to wait for her husband. It was easier to talk about the child with someone else there. He remembered Mary doing the same thing. She'd call him up if someone wanted to ask him something.

"Two and one," Marshall replied hearing footsteps coming down the stairs.

Marshall stood up to introduce himself.

"Mr. Taylor."

"James, this is Marshal Marshall Mann."

"Please just call me Marshall."

"If you return the favor and call me James and my wife Maggie."

Marshall nodded in acknowledgment.

"Marshall, I'm kind of confused about why a U.S. Marshal would be willing to take time to help find a missing child. It's not something that you usually do, is it?" James asked.

"No, it's not something the marshal service usually does," Marshall said, struggling to find a way to answer the question without feeling the heartache that always comes with answering.

Maggie saw the way Marshall swallowed hard and knew.

"You've gone through this before," Maggie whispered and noticed Marshall nod.

"My wife's first child, Norah."

"You found her," Maggie replied knowingly. "She's no longer alive is she?"

"No, she's not."

"How long did it take you to find her?" James asked.

"A year. Every year since then I try to help with a missing child's case for National Missing Children's day. Part of the reason is to honor my step daughter's memory and the other part is to help to gain closure for the families. I watched how the not knowing ate my wife up every day. It tore her and Norah's father apart and destroyed any kind of friendship they had established. The always wondering is unbearable. No one should ever have to suffer through that."

"I'm sorry to bring up painful memories. It just seemed odd. What can we tell you about Rose?" James questioned.

Marshall had spent several hours with the Maggie and James. He had gone through everything that happened that day with Maggie and double checking all the information that they had. They gave him the last photo taken of Rose before her abduction.

Marshall told them he would let them know if there were any developments and assured them anything he discovered would go to Abigail.

In some ways he was relieved to get out of there. He pulled over at a park down the road to get his head cleared. Talking with Maggie and James had brought back a lot of memories of holding Mary through the nights while listening to her heart wrenching sobs. The times he would find Mary sitting in Norah's rocker with the blanket and stuffed horse, had been some of the worst. Throw in her undying belief that he'd bring Norah home and it was a miracle either of them survived. Mary didn't even know what happened at the hotel. Stan and Marshall had kept it between them. He would never forget the night he returned though.

_Stan and he had spent the last two days talking over things and letting him release all the pent-up pain, guilt and anger. It helped to at least put a few things into perspective. They had both known that he had a lot more healing to do, but Stan at least was reassured that he wasn't going to do anything stupid. They had also agreed that Mary didn't need to know about what happened that day in the hotel _

_He had driven around Mary's neighborhood several times before realizing that he was being stupid. This wasn't something he could run away from and Mary needed him. Finally he pulled into the driveway and used his key to enter. _

_He called out to Mary when he didn't see or hear anything. It was still early on Mary time for going to bed. _

_Not hearing an answer he became concerned until Mary came out._

"_Mare, I'm sorry it's been so long," he said, stepping closer to Mary as she entered the room._

_Mary threw her arms around Marshall and clung onto him. _

"_I thought something happened to you. Where the hell have you been Marshall?" _

_He explained where he'd been and after Mary got over her anger for him scaring her she wrapped her arms around him even tighter._

"_I thought something happened to you. I need you, Marshall. More than I've ever needed anyone before, including my father," Mary whispered._

"_I'm sorry, Mare. So sorry," he said, whipping the tears from her cheek. _

_Marshall felt Mary push herself back and looked him straight in the eyes. He waited for what she was going to say when unexpectedly he found his head being drawn towards hers before he felt her lips against his. _

_He didn't even get time to register that he was kissing Mary before she applied more pressure and then came up for air._

"_Mare?" he asked, unsure of why she kissed him. _

_Mary gently stroked his cheek before putting a finger over her lips._

"_I need to feel something other than the pain. You need to show me how to feel something more than despair. This is what I need from you the most," Mary said softly before capturing his lips and leading them to her bedroom. _

_Marshall knew he should stop what they were about to do. In his mind he knew it was wrong. The problem was he understood Mary's need to forget the pain, guilt and despair and let himself give in to what they both needed. _

Marshall was brought back to the present when he heard the sound of a car starting nearby.

He couldn't help but think about his memory and while a part of him knew that he should still feel guilty about them finding comfort in each other that night he couldn't. It was the first of many nights that eventually led to the admission of how they truly felt.

All this recollecting had Marshall missing Mary. Grabbing his phone, he hit speed dial one.

"Doofus, what's up? Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. I'm going to head over to the police station. Just feeling a little nostalgic and wanted to talk to you."

"Have you had lunch yet?"

"Not yet, I was going to stop after the police station and get something to eat."

"How about meeting me, the kids and your parents for lunch? They took them to the aquarium we can eat at the Shark Reef Café."

Marshall smiled the ideal appealed to him. It was something positive to do besides searching for Rose.

"Sounds good. Can we meet in an hour?"

"I'll arrange it. See you then cowboy."

Marshall smiled at the idea of a family lunch. These cases always made him want to see Ryan and Lily to know they were safe. With that thought he left the park and headed towards the police station.


	5. Chapter 5

Mary quickly called Seth to arrange to meet for lunch. Seth and Ellen readily agreed. She also knew that Marshall reaching out to her while working on the information for Rose meant the meeting with the parents stirred up some of the past.

Since she had about an hour, Mary decided that she'd go visit Norah's grave. Bug needed to know she was going to be a big sister again and Uncle Marshall needed his Princess to watch over him.

Grabbing her things she headed out the door, stopped at a florist and headed to the cemetery.

She walked the familiar path to Norah's headstone. Her fingers gently tracing over the engraved letters of her name before moving over to the photo.

Mary couldn't help the smile that formed her face as she remembered the day that photo was taken.

_Marshall had asked Mary and Norah to go with him to the zoo. Norah loved to look at all the animals and Marshall loved to quote out his useless facts to her daughter. The sad part was Norah seemed to like it. She had already warned Marshall if her daughter turned into a geek she was going to make him pay for it. _

_The zoo was more crowded than usual so Marshall put Norah up on his shoulders. Her daughter squealed in delight. The smile on her face from her new perspective was too hard for Mary to resist. She snapped the picture without Marshall or Norah even aware of it. _

_Mark had wanted to use a different picture, but Mary refused. This was the Norah she wanted permanently remembered. The beautiful carefree smile that graced her face was the perfect photo. _

The sound of footsteps coming up behind her had Mary turning around expecting to see Marshall. She thought he might come out here if the case became too much or he needed to think. Sometimes it was hard to recall that he wasn't her father with as much as Marshall loved her. The only thing that reminded her that he wasn't sometimes was the fact that Norah was here instead of at home with them.

When she turned around and saw Mark walking towards her the anger welled up inside of her. They had a mutual agreement to stay away from each other and if one was already at the cemetery the other would come back later.

"What are you doing here?" Mary snapped, standing up and glaring at Mark.

"I came to see my daughter."

"We have an agreement. I'm here you can come back in twenty minutes when I have to leave."

"It's been five years; can't you just cut me some slack?"

"Don't tell me how long it's been. I know. I have forgotten one second of any day that Norah's dead because you were careless with her. You were supposed to watch and protect her. That's the job of a parent. Instead you let her wander off ahead of you while you tried to seal another deal with a former client. Well I sure as hell hope it was worth it for you. I never should've agreed to let you take her that day. Norah would've been better off with Marshall and me at the ballpark."

Mary could see the anger at that statement in Mark's eyes. She didn't care, it was the truth.

"Nothing would ever happen to Norah in Marshall's care. I bet you just wish he would've been her father," Mark said, angrily.

"Every day since she was born," Mary replied, knowing it was the truth.

She had wished that before Norah disappeared. How many nights had she imagined a different scenario. It wasn't Mark or Marshall's fault. Mary had wanted many times to admit to Marshall how she felt, but remained silent. Seeing him with Abigail that night hurt more than she cared to admit. She wanted to feel better and did something foolish. It wasn't something she could completely regret because she'd been given Norah from that night.

Mark had felt like he had been slapped. It hurt to hear that. Mark never considered anything about that night a mistake. Norah was an added bonus. The signs about Marshall were there, but he ignored them since Marshall had Abigail.

"I want to talk to Marshall," Mark said, figuring it was best to not let the rest of the previous conversation to continue.

"Why?" Mary demanded.

"I want to know every detail that he can recall from Norah's disappearance, finding her and catching the bastard that killed her. He owes me those answers."

"First of all, Marshall doesn't owe you anything. Secondly, you're not going to talk to Marshall at all about anything he's been through with Norah's case. I can't even get him to open up to me about it. You're not going to put him through that hell. We know as much as were going to. If Marshall decides he wants to talk about it, then that is his choice. You do not get to upset my husband."

"When did you stop looking for answers? I don't give a damn that he's your husband. Norah was my daughter and I have the right to know."

"I stopped looking for answers when I realized the truth was so bad that Marshall refused to tell me. The only reason he'd do that is to protect not only me, but also you from something that is so horrible he has worse nightmares than I do. I threatened to divorce him and even left for a while to get him to tell me. It didn't work. I stopped asking because I love him and couldn't stand to see the effects it was having on Marshall. Pushing only makes it harder on him. I won't do that to him and it will be a cold day in hell before I allow you too. He never once stopped looking for Norah or the person that took her. He did this for me and I won't punish him for it by making it harder on him. You won't either. Are we perfectly clear on this? If you so much as come around Marshall, I'll use whatever connections I have to make your life even more miserable than it is now."

Mark knew Marshall wasn't the enemy and he was trying to make him out to be. It made it easier to hate someone other than himself.

"Fine, I'll leave Marshall alone. If the day ever comes when Marshall will talk about it, can you at least let me know?"

"If he shares it with me and is willing to talk about it again then I'll make sure he calls you. If not, I send you the information."

"Are you ever going to forgive me?"

"I'm not sure I can. The anger doesn't fade. It's best we stay away from each other. This didn't just destroy you and me. It took a toll on a lot of people. I'll never understand how you could let her wander ahead and not follow her. It was your responsibility to protect her. I trusted you to do that. Don't say anything. There's nothing you can say to change this. Let's just walk away from each other. Norah's death destroyed any chance of us remaining friends. Goodbye, Mark."

Mary didn't wait for a response. She headed to the minivan and headed out of the cemetery and towards the aquarium.

Once Mary arrived at the aquarium, she parked and sat in the minivan trying not to think about how angry she'd become every time she saw Mark. Then to want to force Marshall to talk to him, well he was lucky she didn't deck him. The thought had crossed her mind. If it hadn't been for Marshall, Mark would've had been beaten to a pulp by her a long time ago.

_She had managed to keep her temper under control at the funeral services. Marshall had arranged them so that Mark and his family were on one side of the casket and they were on the other. He had done the same at the funeral home. _

_Marshall had kept a comforting arm around her at all times and helped her through the whole ordeal. She had tried to hold in the tears, but couldn't stop them no matter what. Marshall had been her strength every second of those two awful days. _

_They had rented a hall for people to gather and eat after the services. She had tried to say it was unnecessary, but her mother and Joanna had insisted. _

_Once again, Marshall was the buffer. He kept her away from Mark in order to keep them from causing a scene. Marshall had known if Mark made any attempt at trying to explain why he took his eyes off Norah that Mary would rip him to shreds no matter who was present. _

_Mary knew that Marshall would occasionally try to get her to see reason. That what Mark did wasn't done on purpose, but she didn't or wouldn't hear of it. Marshall made sure that she'd be okay for a few minutes while he ran to the restroom._

_The second Marshall left her side, Mark made his approach. Apparently he'd been waiting for the moment all day. _

"_Mary, would you please just try to understand? I never meant to lose sight of her. It was only for a few seconds. I'd trade places with her if I could," Mark pleaded. _

"_Try and understand? What I understand is that my little girl is lying in a cemetery when she should be at home because you weren't paying attention. She was three years old." _

"_I know I screwed up. How do I make this up to you?" _

"_You stay the hell away from me. How can you even look me in the eye? What kind of father lets his daughter walk around on her own in an amusement park?" Mary screamed causing everyone in the room to look at them. _

"_Mary, you're causing a scene," Mark warned. _

"_You want to see a scene?" Mary asked, before taking a swing at Mark and hitting him in the face. _

_Mary had never felt so much anger at any one as she did at Mark. All her anger boiled over and she wanted to hurt Mark the way he hurt her by losing Norah. She felt herself hitting him several more times before she was restrained and dragged outside. _

"_Mare! Mary!" Marshall yelled as she continued to struggle against his hold on her. _

"_Marshall?" she remembered asking as she looked in surprise that they were out in the parking lot. _

"_I'm here, Mare. I'm right here." _

"_It hurts. Oh god it hurts," Mary sobbed out as her legs gave out on her. _

_She clung to Marshall as her shoulders shook as the pain turned into a heart wrenching sob followed by a scream. _

"_I'm so sorry, Mare. I'm so sorry," Marshall whispered, rocking her back and forth while trying anything and everything to comfort her. "Tell me what you need, Mare." _

"_I need you. I need you to be here for me and find the bastard that did this to Norah. Find the person that stole her from me. Please Marshall."_

"_You have my word. No matter how long it takes or what I have to do."_

Mary heard a car pull up next to hers and as she tried to shake off the memory, she couldn't help but wonder how much those promises that Marshall made had cost him.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall had walked into the police station to find Abigail. She had made a copy of the surveillance footage from the grocery story where Rose had been kidnapped from for him.

He hadn't seen Abigail since last year. After her wedding to Evan Collins, she had switched out of homicide. However, every year she was willing to help Marshall with what he needed for the missing child he was looking for.

"Abigail," Marshall greeted.

Abigail looked up and pushed herself up from the chair.

"I see congratulations are in order," Marshall stated after seeing her swollen stomach. "How far along?"

"Eight months. I can't wait until it's time. I'm tired of the backaches and every other ache. Have to admit though a part of me is scared about bringing a child into this world. How do you and Mary handle it?"

"It's not easy and we'll probably make mistakes. We try to find a balance between allowing them to grow up normally and protecting them. You and Evan will be fine."

"Here's the footage you were looking for. Marshall, I know it's not my place, but are you sure this is the best case for you to be working on. The similarities to Norah are tremendous. You and Mary have been through enough."

"Thanks Abigail, but I'll be fine. Take care of yourself and the little one. I'll see you around."

"If you need help call. I can get one of the other detectives to help. They're all willing to."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

Marshall headed back to the SUV and locked the DVD in the glove compartment before heading to the Aquarium. When he was looking for a parking space he noticed Mary's minivan.

Getting out he moved over to the driver's door, just as Mary began to pull her keys out of the ignition. He smiled at her surprise when she turned and saw him there.

"Hey beautiful, fancy meeting you here."

"Cheesy much, Doofus?" Mary asked, getting out and wrapping her arms around Marshall. "You're lucky that I happen to like your brand of cheesy."

"Oh yeah?" Marshall asked amused.

"Yeah," Mary replied, pulling Marshall in for a kiss.

Marshall knew something was wrong. Mary still wasn't a fan of public displays of affection. She had become accustomed to holding hands because of the kids, but rarely kissing in public. Taking advantage of the kiss he deepened it before they had to come up for air.

"What's wrong?"

"The kiss, huh?"

"Pretty much, but add that to the fact that you were lost in thought when I pulled up and it means something is bothering you. Want to share?"

Mary leaned into him while resting her head on his shoulder.

"Mark's in town. I ran into him at the cemetery. It went about as well as usual."

"Mare…"

"Don't say it, Marshall. I know what you thinking and I'm not sure I can forgive him ever. There is a part of me that understands he loved Norah, but she's dead because he got careless."

"Well since I didn't get a call from the police than I know you left him in one piece."

"Barely, he wanted to talk to you. I told him to stay away from you. When and if you're ready to tell us what we don't know then he can have a second-hand version or you can tell him what you don't know. There may have been a warning about pulling strings if he upset you," Mary said, feeling the tension in Marshall as she mentioned Mark wanting to talk to him.

"Mare, I can take care of myself. You shouldn't be getting upset over Mark wanting to talk to me."

"Marshall, look at me. I know that you would've talked to us about it by now, if you thought it would help. If I won't force you to talk about Norah, then I won't let Mark try to either. He's totally aware of it. Now let's get inside and enjoy a family lunch."

Mary started to turn towards the building. Marshall stopped her.

"Are you okay? Do you need more time before going in?"

"I calmed down before you showed up. We made a promise to keep Lily and Ryan's lives as normal as possible. Those two might be young, but they pick up on things rather quickly, especially our feelings. If there was any doubt in my mind that I couldn't go in there and be Mommy, then I'd still be out here until I could."

"I love you," Marshall replied, kissing her gently on the forehead before they headed towards the restaurant.


	6. Chapter 6

They had a great lunch and Marshall took Lily and Ryan to the window to look at the fish while they waited for their food. After everyone ate the grownups noticed Lily rubbing her eyes with her little fists and Ryan had become more subdued.

"Well Grandma and Grandpa Mann, I do believe you have worn out the little rugrats," Mary said as Marshall had grabbed the check to go pay before Seth could.

"I do believe you're right. Why don't we follow you home with them and then we can visit for a while. I'm assuming Marshall is going to be working again after," Seth said.

Mary knew that meant Seth wanted to know more about what Marshall was working on for a missing child case this year. His parents had been over once when Marshall had a particular bad nightmare. It had caused them a lot of concern to say the least.

They had moved back to New Mexico, shortly after Ryan was born. Ellen claimed it was because their other grandkids were older and too busy to spend as much time with them. Mary knew a part of it was them wanting to spend more time with Ryan and Lily, but the other reason was because Seth wanted a second chance with Marshall. They had grown closer since the breakup with Abigail and it became important to Seth to continue to learn more about the other. Seth was worried about his son too. Everyone who knew Marshall before Norah disappeared could tell the difference. Seth hoped to be able to help his son heal.

"Alright, everyone ready to go?" Marshall asked, as he picked up Lily.

He kissed the side of her head as she nestled into his shoulder trying to make herself comfortable. Marshall knew full well that she'd be asleep before getting secured into her car seat.

"I believe we are," Seth replied as he picked up Ryan to carry him to the car.

Marshall watched them all drive off after he told Mary he might be late tonight. They had a great lunch, but now that he was alone he couldn't help recall when he had taken Norah here.

_Mary's trial had been moved up earlier and she and Delia had to leave that morning. Mark was out-of-town on business, Joanna was supposed to leave to visit her sister, Brandi and Shay were down with the flu and Jinx was working. He had volunteered to watch Norah until Mary or Mark returned. _

"_Come on, Mare. You know full well I'm capable of watching Norah." _

"_I wasn't worried about that Doofus. Norah's used to sleeping at mine or Mark's house. I don't know how she'll react at yours. I don't want you not getting sleep because my daughter is fussy and cranky." _

"_I can handle you when you're fussy and cranky, Norah will be a breeze. If she gets too uncomfortable, I can bring her to your house so she can sleep in her room. I'll crash on the couch."_

"_You sure this isn't putting you out?" Mary asked, learning since the balcony talk to consider what Marshall needed. Abigail may be out of his life, but she didn't want to take advantage of him either. She'd done that too much in the past and it nearly cost her having Marshall in her life. _

"_Are you kidding? I love spending time with Norah. I can take her to the aquarium. I bet she'd love watching the fish swim around in there."_

"_Don't pollute her mind with useless trivia and you have a deal." _

"_There is nothing useless in knowing facts," Marshall replied smiling. _

_Marshall left shortly after Mary and Delia with instructions to his remaining inspectors to call if they needed him. Joanna had thanked him for watching Norah before he packed her things and headed to the aquarium with her. _

_Norah had smiled in delight as they got to the main display in the aquarium. Her little blue eyes lighting up in wonder as the stingrays and sea turtles would swim by. They had managed to arrive in time for feeding so Marshall brought Norah closer to the window so she could watch them feed the fish. _

_The sea turtle swam toward and turned towards them and Norah clapped her little hands together. The look on her face was priceless. Marshall wished he could have taken a photo of her. He made sure on the way out to stop by and buy her a stuffed sea turtle to add to the collection of stuffed animals he'd bought her. Mary would probably give him grief for it, but he didn't care. Norah loved it. _

The sound of laughter caught his attention and he finally backed out and headed towards the office. He wanted to go over the surveillance footage of the grocery store.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary and Seth put the kids down for their naps while Ellen ran to the store. She insisted on cooking them something for dinner. Ellen fussed over Mary and Marshall more around this time of the year. They both worried about all the memories it brought back.

Seth followed Mary into the living room. She was edgier than when they first picked up the kids.

"What's wrong?" Seth asked.

"Nothing," Mary replied, way too quickly.

"Mary, we both know that's not the truth. I may be old, but I still can see. Something happened between the time we picked the kids up and you and Marshall meeting us at the restaurant."

"You're as bad as Marshall."

"It's in the gene pool."

Mary rolled her eyes, but could tell by Seth's stance that he wouldn't accept silence. She knew he cared about her, Marshall and the kids. It was hard to get used to having a father figure in her life other than Stan.

"I ran into Mark."

"Are you okay?"

Mary sighed. She sometimes missed the Seth that didn't show emotions. He never used to dig around to get answers. Ever since his wanting to get to know Marshall better it seemed he became much more comfortable asking personal questions. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate it, just hard to get used to after the man she'd witnessed the first time. It was times like these when she saw the gestures, emotions and other parts of Seth that Marshall inherited.

"Angry, bitter and mad that he showed up. Marshall tries to remind me that I shouldn't hate the man and I try not to, but then my mind jumps back to Norah and I can't stop those feelings. He lost her and I know it wasn't on purpose. It doesn't change anything. Norah is dead and I can't bring her back just like I couldn't save her. It brings the hurt back," Mary replied embarrassed by the tears that slid down her cheeks.

Seth ignored the tears, knowing how uncomfortable showing emotions in front of others made Mary.

"Some wounds take a long time to heal and some never truly heal. The death of a child can either bring two people closer together or completely destroy them. I've seen both outcomes over the years. The anger is understandable. Maybe in time there will be forgiveness. I can't tell you as I've had the fortune so far of not having to go through that kind of loss. The fears for my sons are there, and when the phone rings I worry that it's going to be bad news. It's being a parent. From everything I see with you and the kids, you're a great Mom. Norah was as blessed to have you as you were to have her. Don't forget that."

Mary was about to say something when she suddenly felt like she was going to throw up.

"Excuse me," Mary said, before hurrying down the hallway.

Seth couldn't help the smile that formed on his face. He wasn't happy Mary was sick, but he knew what it meant. When she was pregnant with Ryan she would do the same thing before getting sick. The unconscious rubbing of her stomach as if to sooth the child inside as she hurried to the bathroom. The timing would be about right also. Seth calculated that she was anywhere from three to four months along if history was anything to go on.

While waiting for Mary to return, Seth couldn't help remembering the phone call he received from Marshall when they found out Mary was pregnant with Ryan.

_He had settled in to watch the baseball game when the phone began to ring. Ellen had already left for a girl's day out with her friends. Getting up he grabbed the phone before settling back into the chair and muting the game. _

"_Mann residence." _

"_Dad, is Mom there?" _

_He had picked up on Marshall's voice first. His son was upset, scared or worried about something. _

"_Mom's out with some friends for a while." _

"_Oh, I'll call back later." _

"_Marshall, what's wrong? Are you and Mary okay?" Seth asked, knowing the two had some nasty fights over their first year of marriage. _

"_We're okay. I'll call back when Mom gets home. Sorry I bothered you, Dad."_

"_Son, I know we have a hard time talking about the important things and it shouldn't be that way. Talk to me, Marshall. I promise to listen." _

_There was a brief pause and Seth wasn't sure what to think. He knew that they had a hard time talking, but things had got better or at least he thought so. _

"_Mary's pregnant," Marshall almost whispered. _

_Seth knew that Marshall was scared. _

"_How are the both of you handling that?" _

"_What if I can't be the kind of Dad this child deserves? What if something happens to the baby? Mary and I couldn't handle it. We can't go through that again. I'm not sure I did the right thing." _

"_Marshall, tell me whatever it is that you're unsure about. We'll work through it." _

_Marshall explained the conversation that he'd had with Mary after she told him about the news from the doctor. Seth listened patiently, knowing how important this was to Marshall. _

"_Dad, I'm worried that I pushed to hard to keep the baby." _

"_Marshall, do you want this child?" _

"_I've always wanted to be a father, but not at the cost of Mary's heart." _

"_Son, what you did was ask Mary to think about it. You were honest with her about your feelings and promised to support her no matter what. Are you having second doubts about becoming a parent?"_

"_Sort of. It's not that I don't want to be a Dad, because I do. It's just that I'm scared to bring a child into a world that can be so cruel. If I lost this child too, it would destroy me. I'm not sure I could handle all of this again. We're still struggling with what happened to Norah. A part of me feels like we're betraying her memory by moving forward. This child isn't a replacement and I know that, but sometimes it feels like it." _

"_Son, remember the words you told Mary and do the same for yourself. The two of you should sit down and talk about this at length. We're here if you need us anytime day or night." _

"_Thanks, Dad. I'll let you know what we decide." _

The sound of the toilet flushing brought Seth back to the present. He remembered that had been the longest week of his life. He'd hoped that Mary and Marshall would keep the baby. They would need support either way. It was how the idea of moving back to Albuquerque had started.

Seth watched Mary walk back into the living room.

"So when is the newest addition coming?" Seth asked amused at Mary's shock expression.

"October give or take a few weeks. How did you know?"

"You have a tell," Seth replied amused, before explaining to Mary.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall sat in his office going over the surveillance footage. The problem was that there wasn't any real good footage of the place where Rose had been grabbed from. The cart was blocked by the display at the end of the aisle and in the middle of the floor.

Deciding to go back to the beginning and try to print out the locations of everyone in the store around the disappearance to see if he could narrow it down. They had taken photos of the people they interviewed. Marshall had received a layout of the store at the time of the kidnapping.

Marshall was so caught up in what he was doing that the footsteps entering into his office went unnoticed.

"Chief, how goes it?"

Marshall's head shot up and he was surprised to see Stan standing in front of him.

"Stan, I didn't realize you were coming. How are things in Washington?"

"Fine, how are things going here?" Stan replied, seeing if Marshall would mention anything about Rose Taylor's case.

"We're doing well here. I think you know that already. What really brings you to town?"

"I thought it was time to see my grandkids and check on you and Mary."

"When did Mary call you?"

"She's worried about you. Marshall, you know that."

"Are you? You had the worst nightmare in years according to Mary the other night. Marshall, she's not stupid and knows that I'm well aware of the secret that we keep. If you need to talk to someone, I'm still available to talk to day or night."

"I know that you are and I do appreciate it, but talking about it over and over while helpful in the beginning doesn't change the past. The only thing I can do to try and make up for it is to help other families find closure. It's not enough, but it's what I can do."

"Marshall, we've been over this several times. There isn't anything that you have to make up for. While noble to help others, you have to consider what this does to you and your family. You haven't talked to anyone since my friend. You're having nightmares that has Mary concerned enough to call me. What does that tell you?"

Marshall ran a hand through his hair. He knew Stan was right about worrying Mary.

"I have to do this Stan. I've talked to the family and if I can help them get closure than I will."

"What's the case? Maybe, I can help you. What are you working on?"

Marshall filled Stan in on the case. Together they worked on filling out the locations of people in the store from the video and witness testimony. Marshall was well aware that Stan was keeping tabs on him since they started.

"Let me see the file," Stan said, while Marshall continued to go over locations.

Marshall handed the file over knowing that Stan was going to have concerns. All he had to do is see Rose's picture to realize why he chose this case.

Stan knew he had to make sure that he reacted appropriately. Marshall more than likely didn't know that Mary was aware of the case he chose.

"Marshall…"

"Don't say it Stan. I know that she looks like Norah."

"It's a stranger abduction and yes she looks like Norah. It would explain the nightmares. Marshall you need to think about this."

"I did, Stan. I talked to the parents. Their daughter has been missing for over three years. They have no clue where she is and are struggling to deal with day-to-day life not knowing where she is. So I chose the case because of the memory. This is something that I needed to do. Maybe it will be harder to do this case. They need to know what has happened to their daughter. We've both seen what it did to Mary and Mark. You won't get me to change my mind about this."

"What about the toll it will take on you? It won't just be the nightmares, Marshall. What happens if you find her dead or what if by some slim miracle she's alive? How will that make you feel?"

"Honestly, I don't know Stan. The only thing that keeps appearing in my mind is the look on Maggie and James face. I can't ignore it."

"Then I'll be here to help you. I've scheduled time to be here for several weeks. I understand that you don't want to tell Mary and Mark about the tape. It would do more damage than good. I also realize that you want to help the family and this is like a second chance for you to try and get a different outcome from what happened with Norah. What I worry about is how it will affect you. The hotel still haunts me Marshall. To see what Norah's death damn near did to you will forever stay in my mind. You and Mary mean a lot to me and I don't want this to scar you for the rest of your life. Mary and those kids need you to be okay. So you are stuck with me until I know that you are."

Stan watched as Marshall nodded his understanding. Marshall wasn't thrilled about it, but it didn't matter. All that really matter to him, was making sure that Marshall was okay. He had tried to get Marshall to talk to Mary about some of what he was feeling. That he could open up to her about what happened and how it made him feel without telling Mary about the tape. Everything Marshall had gone through to find Norah and her killer would be enough to cause the trauma it had. Mary would understand that without the knowledge of the tape. Stan couldn't help but recall their conversation about telling Mary.

_He had come from Washington to check on Mary and Marshall. Things at the Albuquerque office hadn't been the same since Norah's killer had been found. The upper brass understood for the time being, but Stan was well aware that things were going to need to change. _

_The Director wanted him to check on things and Stan had happily agreed to come. He talked to Marshall and Mary, but all he kept getting was they were fine. Stan called Delia to get to the truth. She had confirmed his suspicions and arranged the first flight out of Washington. _

_The entire flight he knew that he would have to talk to Marshall about the office, but his greater concern was how Mary and Marshall were doing. He was well aware of the changes happening in their relationship. Mary depended on Marshall in a way he never thought he'd see and the same could be said about Marshall. The problem was even if they got together, Mary would eventually realize Marshall was keeping secrets. Marshall had forced Mary to see Shelley at first, but Mary continued to see her voluntarily. Stan knew that said a lot about how hard Mary's life had become since Norah died. The thing that Mary didn't know yet was how asking Marshall to find not only her daughter but also her killer would be on her best friend. _

_Stan was happy when the plane landed. All his worries and fears had doubled with the amount of time he had to think. Heading towards the baggage claim he smiled as he saw Delia waiting for him. _

"_Delia, how are you?" Stan asked. _

"_Hanging in there. Marshall asked me to send his regrets for not picking you up himself, but he took Mary to her appointment with Shelley." _

"_How are they doing?" _

"_As well as can be expected under the circumstances. Mary and Marshall are pretty much inseparable. Marshall is still playing the buffer between Mark and Mary. Not sure how much more responsibilities he can handle. He's burning the candle at both ends and I'm worried about him burning out._

_Mary's hurting too much to notice. That is to be expected. She has been seeing Shelley regularly and it actually seems to be helping her through this. Although sometimes I thin that's more Marshall then Shelley." _

"_You're worried about them," Stan replied noticing Delia's facial expressions change as she summarized Mary and Marshall. _

"_I knew it would be hard on Mary. I can't imagine going through that. It just never occurred to me how hard it would hit Marshall. I know he loved that little girl like she was his own, but I don't think I realized how much until recently." _

_Stan nodded as they grabbed his bags and headed towards the car. On the drive to Marshall's house he reflected on Delia's words. He would need to talk to Marshall. _

_Arriving at Marshall's house, Stan was greeted by Marshall at the door. _

"_Hi Stan, it's good to see you." _

"_How are you doing?" _

"_Rough day," Marshall replied cocking his head towards the bedroom. _

"_Is Mary alright?" _

"_These sessions are hard on her. Mary is emotionally exhausted and just fell asleep. From what I understand it's like an emotional roller coaster that Mary feels she'll never get off of. I'm worried she'll never get past the anger and Mark. I get her hating Randall and I understand her being upset with Mark. I just have seen the pain on his face also and know he's hurting just as bad if not more as Mary. Shelley doesn't think Mary will ever forgive Mark. A part of me understands and yet another part of me doesn't." _

"_Why don't we go out onto the patio and talk while Mary sleeps?" Stan suggested now that Marshall's given him an opening. _

_Sitting down on the patio, Marshall took a deep breath. _

"_Talk to me, Marshall. Something is clearly bothering you." _

"_If Mary can't forgive Mark, what happens if she ever finds out what I've withheld from her? I love her Stan, but she knows that there's something I'm not telling her. We've fought on and off about it. She's even left me for a while to force the issue."_

"_What did you tell her?" _

"_I refused to tell her anything. She doesn't need to know about all of it. I'm not trying to hide it to spite Mary. If I thought that it would help things, I'd tell her." _

"_Then talk to her about what you can share. Let her know that it hurts you to. Marshall, you're bottling this all up inside to try to get Mary through it. What about you? Who do you talk to when it becomes too much. I get there are things Mary doesn't need to hear, but there are things she does need to know. This has affected your life too." _

"_Mare, feels guilty enough about what happened to Norah. I'm not going add-on to her burdens. She's getting better, Stan. I won't impede her progress." _

"_Damn it Marshall, it's not just about Mary. I realize you did what you had to do for both Mary and Norah by looking for Norah and then her killer. You found them and have been through a whole crap load of things also. I'm not saying you blame Mary for asking, but she should know that you're hurting also."_

"_Absolutely not. She'll just end up blaming herself for asking me to take charge of the case. I won't do that to her." _

_Stan was about to answer when he heard the patio door open. _

Marshall's phone rang and it brought Stan back to the present. Shaking his head he began to go through the details of Rose's disappearance.


	7. Chapter 7

Mary had just got off the phone with Marshall and smiled knowing that Stan was here to help. She traced her finger over her wedding band and couldn't help recalling how she almost let her anger get in the way of the best thing that happened to her since Norah.

_Tension in the house had mounted since she had started paying closer attention to Marshall's nightmares. The more Mary tried to get him to talk about them the more he clammed up. It had taken a while but she finally looked past her own pain and realized that Marshall was holding out on her. _

_They had been having some nasty verbal wars over the last several months. Their one year anniversary was coming up and she wanted answers. _

_Marshall had made the mistake that morning of asking the wrong question that set off this argument. _

"_Mare, what do you want for our first anniversary?" _

_Mary knew that it was more of what would you like to do than what gift do you want, but Marshall had a nasty nightmare last night and it spurred on her reply. _

"_What I would like from you is the truth." _

"_Mare?" Marshall asked, confused. _

"_What don't I know about my daughter's death, Marshall? You're holding out on me and I want the answers."_

_Marshall had sighed knowing it was the beginning of another argument. _

"_How many times do I have to tell you that there is nothing else that you need to know?" _

"_Really? Then why do you have such severe nightmares? Man up, Marshall." _

"_I don't know Mare; maybe it has something to do with finding Norah. You know I'm not going to do this again. I've already told you everything that you need to know." _

"_That's the problem right there. You told me what you think I **need** to know. I was her mother, I deserve to know everything." _

"_There are some things in this life that you're better off not knowing." _

"_You owe me the truth." _

"_I told you what you need. Not everything is about you, Mary." _

"_If you truly loved me than you would tell me." _

"_It's because I love you that I won't." _

"_If you don't tell me, then I'll leave you." _

_Marshall stared at her in shock, but she wanted her way and continued to push. Her only thought was that he'd eventually cave like he always had in the past. _

"_If that's what you want, then I'll move out. This is our home and it would mean nothing to me without you in it. I love you, Mary. I'd give you anything in the world that I could. What you ask is the only thing I can't give you." _

_Mary felt her anger rise and she slapped Marshall before storming out of the living room and slamming the door. She heard the front door close and knew Marshall had left for work. With anger still guiding her she packed a suitcase, got into the car and left Marshall with a note telling him she was gone and wouldn't return unless he told her the truth. _

_She had driven to Santa Fe where she locked herself into a hotel room and refused to answer any of the phone calls that came in her first two days there. Day three found her missing Marshall already and had her checking the messages on her phone. _

_There were several from Stan telling her to call him and that she needed to think things through and to think about what Marshall said. He asked her to think about all Marshall had done for her and gone through for her. She resented Stan's call. _

_Brandi had called several times to tell her everyone was worried about her including Marshall. He loved her and that despite whatever words may have been spoken she'd regret not working things out. She had messed up with Peter and regretted it. She didn't want her big sister making the same mistake with Marshall. _

_It was the last call that had thrown her and she had to work up the courage to listen to. Seth Mann had actually called her. She remembered the promise made to him about not hurting his son and she'd done just that. The man was down right scary when he wanted to be. Taking a deep breath she listened with surprise to the words of a father who knew his son more than any one realized. _

"_Mary, I know that you're hurting and what you asked my son. You told me that you loved him and I believe you do. What you asked Marshall to give you is the one thing he can't or won't. We both know the only reason Marshall wouldn't tell you something is because he's trying to protect you from what's shattering his heart. He's always had your back. You told me that a long time ago. My son feels things deeply as you are well aware. Norah may not be his is flesh and blood, but he loved her like he loves you. Think about why he'd keep something from you and do what you need to. Don't drag this out if you can't let it go. Release Marshall if that is what you need to do to survive. I somehow doubt that's what you need. The two of you are so dependant on each other it scares me sometimes, but it's also a truth that can't be denied. Think about that last few years and the entire time you were partners. You'll know what you need."_

_Mary stared at the phone in surprise. She'd been expecting a threat on hurting his son, but instead she gave him a lot to think about. _

_She'd spent the next four days thinking about what everyone had said. The only person that didn't call her was Marshall. She knew why, too. He didn't want to influence her decision to what he wanted. The only thing that mattered to him was that he did what was best for her. _

_A week after she left Santa Fe, she found herself sitting on the sofa waiting for Marshall's return. The sound of the key turning in the door made her heart race. Would he be able to forgive her? _

_Marshall walked in and Mary could see the tension in his body. Tension she caused and knew he wasn't aware that she returned. When he looked up and saw her the first time his eyes widened in surprise. She noticed that before the bags under his eyes. _

"_Mare…"_

"_Don't Marshall. Please don't apologize. I'm the one who is sorry. After everything that you have done for me and Norah, the last thing you deserved was the way I treated you before I left. The silent treatment wasn't fair of me either. I needed to think and somehow you knew that. After listening to others messages left for me to see if I was okay, I finally realized that you've always put me first. You've given me everything that I had ever needed or wanted. I used that to get my way and I hurt you. I promised your Dad that I wouldn't do that to you and still I did. The only thing that can be said is sorry. While that word isn't enough, it's all I can give. I do love you Marshall and I still want us to be together. Whatever it is that you keep inside of you is something that you need to do to protect me. Please forgive me." _

_Mary knew that please was a word she never used, but Marshall needed to know that it mattered enough for her to say the words. _

_She watched him stride over towards her before pulling her into his arms. Those arms were home to her._

"_I love you, Mare. I'm not trying to hurt you." _

"_I know Marshall, but you're hurting you by not talking. If not to me then please find someone to talk to."  
_

The sound of the door opening caught her attention as Marshall and Stan entered the house.

"Look who I found," Marshall said, casually pointing to Stan.

Mary could tell he knew that she'd called Stan, but wasn't making a fuss over it. The only reason she'd do that was out of concern.

"Stan, the man," Mary greeted, getting up and hugging Stan.

"Mary, always a pleasure. Where are my grandkids?"

"Being hogged outside by Grandpa Mann," Mary replied before whispering softly into Stan's ear. "Thanks for coming. He's going to need you."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall had grilled the food while Stan and his Dad played with the kids while Mary and his Mom talked. He had enjoyed watching the happy scene, but his mind kept going back to the Taylor family. Every night they had to wonder what happened to Rose.

Once supper was eaten and the kids were listening to Stan and his Dad tell them stories about their parents he excused himself and headed inside. There was something that had bothered him since Stan and he put the map together and watched the video. He hadn't been able to put his finger on it. Stan told him to let it go for tonight and review it tomorrow.

Seth and Mary had watched Marshall go into the house. Mary was about to go after him when Seth indicated he would.

Entering the house he knew full well where his son would be. Heading into the den he watched as Marshall took out some papers from his briefcase. The fact that Marshall hadn't noticed he was there told Seth just how hard he was concentrating. While his son wasn't aware of his presence he decided to observe. The thing that bothered him the most was how easily aggravated Marshall got within minutes of opening up the paperwork. He knew it meant there was a detail that his son felt he was missing. The impatience with not getting everything right had started when Marshall was just starting school. He wanted to do it all right and do it right the first time.

For some reason that thought had, Seth's mind taking him back to the night Marshall called him and told him Mary left and he wasn't sure she was coming back.

"_Mann residence." _

"_Hi Dad." _

"_Son, let me get your mother." _

"_Dad. Dad, can I um talk to you?"_

_He could hear the pain in his son's voice._

"_Always, Marshall. What's wrong?" _

"_Mary's gone. She left and I'm not sure that she's going to come home." _

"_What happened?" _

_Marshall filled him in on the fight they had all the way down to the slap and her being gone when he got home._

"_I'll have a talk with Mary," Seth replied heatedly. Knowing the talk he had with Mary before the wedding. _

"_No, Dad. If you push her to hard then she'll come back for the wrong reasons or never stop running. She's not wrong. There's something I can't tell her. It would destroy her. I'd rather she left me than do that to her."_

"_What can't you tell her?" _

"_The missing piece and don't ask. This isn't something I'm willing to discuss with anyone. I shouldn't have bothered you."_

"_Marshall, stop. You're not bothering me. I want you to know you can tell me anything. Whatever this is, well it's hurting you. Let me help you, Son."_

"_Thanks for the offer, Dad. I'll keep that in mind. It's not right; it has to be right before I can talk about it." _

Seth heard Marshall shuffle some papers and decided to speak up.

"Are you alright?" Seth asked, hoping to distract his son.

Marshall turned around swiftly.

"I'm fine, Dad."

"What are you working on when you have company and your kids are still awake?"

"I wasn't trying to be rude. The kids were entertained by you and Stan telling stories."

"Let it go for tonight, Marshall. If you push to hard, you'll over think it. Just let it come to you naturally. You just started working this case."

"It feels like every second that passes is another lost shot at finding her."

"How long has she been missing?"

"Three years."

"Son, you need to stop doing this to yourself. It's not healthy for you or your family."

"I can't stop. It feels wrong to stop."

"Norah wouldn't want to see her Uncle Marshall hurting himself in her name. No one wants to see that. You did everything you could. No matter how much you don't like hearing it over and over. It's the truth and you need to let that sink in. I'm not saying that you need to stop helping with finding missing children, but there are other ways to do so without putting yourself through the ringer emotionally."

"They're suffering without knowing what happened."

"You're suffering through nightmares mixing past and present. Mary's worried about you and she should be concentrating on my third grandchild. So should that child's father. So let it go for tonight and if you need help tomorrow then I'll come over and we can work on it together. Tonight we celebrate the new life being brought into this family."

"Mary told you?" Marshall asked, surprised. They usually waited.

"No her tell did."

"Rubbed the stomach before getting sick," Marshall replied knowingly.

"That would be the one."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary rested with her back against the headboard, eyes closed and Marshall's head in her lap. It had been a week and a half since he started investigating Rose Taylor's disappearance and the nightmares had gotten so bad that the kids were sleeping at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Mary would go over there after work and Marshall would meet them for supper.

She hated sending them out of the house but the other night Marshall's scream had woken Lily and the second scream had scared her so much she was crying. Mary had quickly woken Marshall up, but the damage was done. Marshall woke and ran into the bathroom while Mary went to get Lily. She knew full well her husband had lost everything he'd eaten for supper by the time she returned.

Marshall had reached out and grabbed Lily from her arms and began to rock her back and forth.

"I'm sorry poohbear. I'm so sorry. Daddy didn't mean to scare you. I love you so much. I never meant to scare you," Marshall repeated over and over.

Lily's cries started to quiet down and seeing that Marshall had her daughter under control she went to make sure Ryan was still asleep. The entire walk was spent trying to figure out how to tell Marshall that it might be better for the kids at his parent's house.

Mary returned to see Lily fast asleep on Marshall's shoulder and tears streaking down his face. When he turned to look at her she'd felt like someone had kicked a puppy. The hurt, pain and sorrow in his eyes made he want to lash out at all the sick people in the world who had done this to them.

Walking up to him she swiped the tears.

"I'm so sorry, Mare. It's never been this bad before."

"I know. Your parents have volunteered to let the kids stay with them and I think it's time we took them up on their offer. The nightmares get worse the closer we get and it's best for them to not see this.

Marshall don't apologize. You haven't done anything wrong. I do think that we need to discuss this annual tradition of yours. I know how much you want to help find other missing kids, but we're going to have to find a different way of doing it.

This way has scared the kids and is making you physically sick. You've thrown up more times then I have and I'm the one who is pregnant. I hate watching what this is doing to you.

There is one more thing and I know that you're going to argue about it, but you need to see Shelley or some other psychiatrist about whatever is buried inside of you and driving you to continue to search for missing children. You become almost obsessed with it since Norah. We promised each other to tell us when we're doing something that is harmful to the kids. They need you Marshall, just as much as I do. When it makes you sick it's harmful to all of us. They know something is wrong. Promise me that you'll talk to someone after this case. We'll postpone our vacation to a later date. You have to get help, Marshall. If you don't it will eat you up inside."

Marshall kissed Lily's head and held her a little tighter before answering Mary.

"I promise, as soon as this is over."

Mary ran her fingers through Marshall's hair. That had been two nights ago and she was grateful for sending the kids away. Marshall's nightmares continued to increase in intensity and occurrence.

She felt him stir underneath her touch.

"Mare?'

"I'm right here, Marshall."

"You need to sleep."

"Pot and kettle, Marshall."

Marshall lifted his head off her lap and indicated for her to lie down next to him.

Mary did as requested and lay her head on his chest while wrapping an arm around his waist.

"I'm worried about you," Mary said softly.

"It wasn't my intention to do that. I just have to help with this case."

"It won't bring Norah back."

"No, it won't. If I could have done that for you, I would have. I'd move heaven and earth to be able to do that."

"That I do know. This has to stop Marshall. I know that you can't quit this case, but after this you need to, for all of our sakes."

"I know. The second I scared Lily, I knew that. I'll find a different way to help. I still need to do that."

"We'll find something you can do. I love you too much to lose you to this. You fought so hard for me to keep living after Norah died. I should've done the same for you."

"You did."

"How could…" Mary started, but Marshall placed a finger over her lips.

"When this is done, I'll explain. There are still some things I can't tell you, but there are parts you need to know. Stan tried to get me to tell you years ago, but I couldn't do that to you. There was so much you had to deal with that I didn't want to burden you anymore."

Mary moved so she could look Marshall in the face.

"I honestly never thought there would be a day when I appreciated someone taking care of me. When Norah died, you were there every step of the way. It felt good to not have to be the strong one all the time. At first it felt like a weakness, but you made me realize that it wasn't. You kept me together and I don't recall if I ever thanked you for everything you did. I made you make promises to me that have in returned hurt you. I'm sorry for that, Marshall. It was never my intention for you to get hurt by looking for Norah or her killer."

"Mare, you would never intentionally hurt me. I know that. You've given me the greatest parts of my life. Being my partner, best friend, Norah's Uncle, becoming my wife and bearing my children are the greatest things that happened to me. I love you Mary Elizabeth Shannon. If there is one thing you should never forget, it's that."

"I love you to Marshall Mitchell Mann. Now show me just how much."

"By your command," Marshall replied.


	8. Chapter 8

Marshall held Mary while she slept curled up in his arms. He had almost told her about that night in the hotel. She had been the only reason he didn't use his weapon. It had nearly destroyed him to hear Norah calling out to him. She had such faith in him and it felt like he'd let her down. It's why the searching was so important to him.

When Lily woke up crying that night because of him, it had been a bid dose of reality that he wasn't hurting his family by trying to make up for something that he would never be able to get right. Rose was his second chance to get it right. The odds weren't in his favor and yet he had to believe that somehow there was a way to make things better.

In the four years following Norah's disappearance and death, Marshall had only managed to find one of the missing children alive. The disappearance had just happened a few days before. Rose had been missing for three years. The odds were not in his favor of a happy ending, but the Maggie and James deserved to know if she was alive or dead.

The look on Maggie's face reminded Marshall of Mary. The hopeful looks and the disappointment at knowing there was no news. It took him back to the early days in Norah's disappearance.

_Marshall had taken to stopping by Mary's house with supper before moving on to a new search location or following another lead. The calls flooded the station, but the problem was that many people were seeing a different child. Every lead was being checked into, but very few of the leads generated from the calls panned out. _

_Marshall walked into Mary's house and she immediately turned to him the second she'd heard his boots against the wood floor. _

"_Marshall?" _

"_Nothing yet, we're still looking. Thought I would stop by with some supper, see how you're doing and then head back out." _

_He hated the disappointment in her face that came day in and day out with the same phrase coming out of his mouth. A part of him was surprised Mary hadn't thrown him out and told him not to come back until he found Norah. _

_Mary started retreating into herself after the first week. Being in law enforcement and knowing the statistics didn't help. Marshall had quizzed Mary on all the places that Norah might hide if she'd escaped. _

_Desperation was hitting a whole new level at that point. It broke his heart to think of Norah lost, scared and alone somewhere while Mary sat in Norah's room hanging onto some of Norah's favorite things as if somehow they could magically bring Norah home._

Mary's head moved and brought him back to the present. She had barely spoken to anyone after Norah disappeared other than to ask if he'd found her yet.

"Sleep Marshall. You need the rest. I don't want you collapsing of exhaustion," Mary mumbled.

"I'm fine, Mare. Go back to sleep," he whispered back tracing his fingertips along her arm.

He couldn't tell her he was scared to close his eyes at night now. The memories of that tape were fresh in his mind. Had been since he talked to Maggie and James and looked at Rose's picture.

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Mary woke to the sun streaming into the bedroom through the blinds. She moaned and began to sit up when she noticed Marshall sleeping next to her. Looking at the clock she realized he was late for work.

"Marshall, wake up."

"What?" Marshall asked irritably.

"One of us has to be into work today and it's not me."

"Crap," Marshall said, quickly getting up and heading towards the shower.

Mary couldn't help but smirk. Marshall was never late and while Stan would understand she still found it highly amusing. She heard the shower turn on and rolled over to go back to sleep.

Just as she was about to sleep she heard the loud beeping of the garbage truck and realized that last night they hadn't put the garbage out. Luckily the bathroom door opened and Marshall came out.

"Marshall, we forgot the trash."

"I'll get it. Go back to sleep," he said, closing the window so the noise would get drowned out and kissing Mary on the forehead as he left.

Marshall hurried gathering his things before quickly heading out to the SUV. He put his briefcase in before quickly grabbing the garbage bin and rolling it to the curb. Getting into the SUV he began to pull out of the driveway when he looked at the garbage can and swiftly slammed on his brakes.

After staring at the garbage can for several minutes he put the SUV in drive and floored it to the Sunshine Building.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary was almost asleep when the phone rang.

"You just left what could be important enough to wake me up?" Mary snapped.

"Mare, call my Dad and tell him to meet me at the Sunshine Building. Tell him I'll take his offer to help up. Also, call Stan and tell him to get the surveillance footage up and the chart."

Mary sat up. Marshall's voice told her that something was up.

"I will but what's going on?"

"You are a genius and I owe you a night out or whatever you want to cash in on for a night with me to do."

"Will discuss the cashing in late, what did I help you figure out?"

"How Rose got out of the grocery store unnoticed."

"Exactly how did I do that?" Mary asked confused.

"I'll tell you later when I get home. I need to get Abigail to fax me over some information. Love you."

Mary stared at the phone baffled, but did as requested. She hoped whatever Marshall's brilliant idea is panned out. He couldn't handle a let down.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Abigail was working at her desk when her phone rang.

"Detective Collins."

"Abigail, it's Marshall. Do you still have some detectives that are willing to help on Rose's case?"

"Yeah, what do you need?"

"All the information you have on any of the employees that were working that day and especially any of them that quit shortly after the disappearance. Also, if any of them left for the day shortly before the Code Adam was placed."

"I'll have them run it and narrow it down. You think an employee did it?"

"If Rose was taken out of the store the way I think she was then yes. Thanks, Abigail."

Abigail looked at the phone. She wanted to know how he thought Rose was taken out of the store. Ignoring her own curiosity she called some of the detectives and they began to put the information together for Marshall.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan had all the information that Marshall had requested together. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be looking for. Delia had coffee going for them as he figured it was going to be a long day.

The elevators opened to show Marshall coming in.

"What do you have Marshall?"

"We've spent how long trying to figure out how you sneak a five-year old out of a store unnoticed. They never found her clothes so the person didn't change what she had on," Marshall started, but they were interrupted by the appearance of Seth and Abigail.

"Son, what's going on?" Seth asked.

"Sorry, but you peaked my curiosity when you called," Abigail replied as they looked to her. "The information you requested. Picked a good day to be looking for it Marshall. We had some extra help and were able to process in record time."

"Marshall was just getting to that point," Stan indicated for Marshall to continue.

"Abigail, the store was checked top to bottom to see if they could find her anywhere."

"Yeah, we did a full search of the store."

"What about the dumpster?"

"Excuse me?"

"The garbage dumpster outside of the store."

"It was empty when it was checked," Abigail replied.

"When was that?" Marshall asked.

"After the inside was cleared."

"There were about twenty minutes before the Code Adam was issued because Maggie thought Rose wandered down to the candy aisle. That would give an employee that was getting off shift plenty time to get her out of the building unnoticed."

"The store was full of people. How do you move a child without anyone seeing?" Seth asked.

"The garbage can to the dumpster and then pick her up out of the dumpster before the police arrived and the garbage collectors show up. Maggie and James had been going to this store for years. Maggie always took the kids with her when they went. She always went around the same time. It's easy to plan it down to the minute if the routine stays the same."

"Nobody would think twice about a garbage can because spills happen and things need to be cleaned up," Stan said, following Marshall's logic.

"We were only looking at the inside of the store and around the time of the kidnapping. Let's go back and look at the footage."

Stan took the footage back further than they had checked. Sure enough out came a female with a garbage can.

"She's being awful careful with the garbage in that can," Seth stated.

"That's because it's not garbage," Marshall replied, after fast forwarding it a little further.

The same female backed the car up towards the dumpster and pulled out an unconscious little blonde haired girl and put her in the trunk of her car before parking it back where it was.

"Do we have photos of the employees to match?" Stan asked.

Abigail and Seth were digging through the files. "Yeah, they took the names of all the working and non working employees just to be safe."

Seth found it. "Got her. Her name is Brina Kling. No known priors. She quit two days after the disappearance of Rose. When the police asked about it the store owner wasn't surprised. Brina had lost her four-year old daughter to cancer the year before."

"Do you have her social security number?" Stan asked.

They began running down the information in the system.

"Brina lives in Fruitland, Idaho."

"Stan?"

"I'll arrange a flight for us," Stan replied, knowing Marshall needed to see it through.

"Stan, I'd like to go with," Seth said.

"Abigail, can we keep this quiet until we know for sure? I don't want to raise the expectations of the Taylors."

"You got it. Good luck," Abigail replied, heading for the elevator.

"Thanks for helping."

"Anytime."

"Jet is being fueled as we speak. Let's go."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

They landed on Ontario, Oregon and drove the seven minute drive into Fruitland, Idaho. The local police department had been informed about the situation and was told not to move in. They were going to meet them and Stan and Marshall would approach the house first.

Stan pulled into the driveway and they both noticed the two little girls playing outside.

"Stan, that's her. The one on the left is Rose."

"I know. Let's try not to scare her."

They parked the car and since they didn't see any adults, Marshall approached the little girls.

"Hi, there girls. Are you parents inside?" Marshall asked.

Rose looked at him and saw the badge. Her eyes had become wide.

Marshall noted the way her eyes looked around and could tell she wanted to say something, but she was scared.

"Excuse me, can I help you gentlemen?"

"Yes, we're looking for Brina Kling," Stan replied showing his badge.

"That would be my sister. She's at work now. Can I help you with something?"

"Your name would be?"

"Destiny Matthews. Who exactly are you and what do you want with my sister?

"I'm Assistant Director Stan McQueen of the U.S. Marshal's Service. The man over there is Chief Inspector Marshall Mann. We're here to talk to your sister about that little girl over there."

"That's Brina's daughter McKenna."

"Actually her name is Rose Taylor," Marshall spoke up.

"You know my real name?" Rose said in surprise.

Marshall knelt in front of her.

"Yes, I do. I've met your Mom and Dad. Your baby brother was sick so he was sleeping. I didn't get a chance to meet him."

"I'm confused here?" Destiny said.

Stan pulled out the file about McKenna Kling.

"Your sister's daughter died of cancer four years ago. Three years ago Rose was taken from the store where your sister works. We have proof that she abducted Rose from that grocery store."

"Where does your sister work?" Stan asked.

Stan radioed to the police to go pick her up. Another squad car pulled up.

"The police are going to need to ask you some questions. We're going to take Rose home as soon as she gets checked over at a medical facility."

Stan and Seth sat on the airplane watching Rose and Marshall. The hardest part for Marshall would be coming up. Rose had taken a shine to Marshall and he was reading her stories and playing games with her.

The good news was she was in great health and hadn't been harmed. It turned out that after McKenna died Brina became unstable. She was pulling her life together or so her doctor thought, but when she saw Rose she'd confused her for McKenna.

"How bad do you think Marshall will react to this Stan?"

"I don't know Seth. In one sense he'll be relieved for the Taylors, but it won't fix the whole in his heart that came from Norah's death. I'm worried about the guilt."

The plane touched down and they headed to the Taylor's home. They had taken two SUV's to the airport so Stan and Seth rode in one and Marshall drove in the other with Rose.

When they parked outside of the house, Rose looked to Marshall.

"Will they be angry with me?"

"No, they won't. They're going to be so happy to see you. I'm guessing this is pretty scary for you, but it wasn't your fault and they know that. All they want is to hold you and see you again."

Marshall got out and opened the door so Rose could slide out. James and Maggie were waiting on the front porch hands clenched together. Marshall knew they were waiting for the other shoe to fall. Until they actually held her he knew it wouldn't seem real.

Rose looked at him unsure of what to do.

"Go to you parents, Rose. They've waited a long time for this."

"Thank you, Mr. Marshall," Rose said hugging him before running towards her parents.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Rose cried out as she got close.

Marshall watched the scene unfold, but his mind quickly went to a three-year old blonde haired angel that never made it home the right way. Suddenly he found it hard to breath and needed to leave. He quickly moved over to Stan.

"I'll meet up with you at the house. There's something I need to do."

Seth and Stan didn't get a chance to answer and Marshall was gone.

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Mary and Ellen were playing with the kids when Stan and Seth arrived.

"Where's Marshall?" Mary asked, not seeing her husband.

"He's not here yet?" Seth asked concerned.

"What do you mean he's not here yet?" Mary demanded.

Seth and Stan explained what happened with Rose and that Marshall took off. They had thought he would come here to be with Mary and the kids.

"I know where he went. Stan give me a lift," Mary ordered.

"Where are we going?" Stan asked.

"Norah's grave. He brought Rose home alive, Stan. How do you think that was going to make him feel? Marshall wanted to bring Norah home alive. This doesn't erase what happened and he'll feel guilty and seek absolution from Norah."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Marshall had driven around town before picking up flowers and heading to Norah's grave.

Five years of pain was playing havoc on Marshall's heart. He had searched high and low and continually for a year to find Norah. Every turn empty until only her body was found. How is it he could find a stranger's child in less than two weeks and return her home safely?

Dropping down next to Norah's grave, Marshall laid the flowers by her headstone before running his fingers over the picture. The only part you couldn't see was that he was carrying her on his shoulders.

The tears began to flow endlessly and his shoulders shook with the intensity of his sobs.

"I'm so sorry, Norah. I promised. I promised to bring you home if you were ever lost. You believed me that night when I told you that. You trusted and loved me and I failed you and your Mom."

/\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Stan had barely pulled the car into the cemetery when Mary was already undoing her seat belt. She could see his shoulders shaking and knew his heart was broken.

"Stan, call Shelley and schedule Marshall for the earliest appointment she has open. He needs to talk to her. He promised. I need to get to him," Mary said, jumping out of the SUV and running over to Marshall. She could hear his voice cracking on every word he said.

Mary heard him apologize. She wrapped her arms around Marshall and pulled him to her.

"You didn't fail us at all. Norah would be so proud of you for finding that little girl. She wouldn't hate you. There's nothing to forgive you for."

"I promised. I gave her my word that if she was ever lost I would find her. How can you say I didn't fail Norah? She trusted me to find her and I didn't. I tried so hard, but it wasn't enough. Why wasn't it enough? Why can I find a stranger's child and not the one I loved like my own? Why couldn't I bring back your daughter?"

Mary was scared. Marshall was scaring the hell out of her. She needed to get through to him.

"Marshall, look at me," Mary demanded. When he refused she reached down and forced him to look at her. "Breathe. Just breathe. Please Marshall, try and calm down."

"It hurts, Mare. She's gone and it hurts. Why can I protect all sorts of other people, but not Norah? Why?" Marshall asked again before completely breaking down in tears.

Mary knew the questions by heart. She'd asked them everyday and talked to Shelley about them. How the hell she never realized just how deeply Marshall buried his pain she would never know. It was breaking her heart to see him in this much agony.

She jumped when Marshall screamed Norah's name but held him even closer and tighter than before. She rocked him back and forth until he cried himself out. She never even realized that she cried right along with him until she felt a drop on her hand that couldn't be Marshall's.

"Marshall, look at me." Mary demanded.

Marshall shook his head no. Mary rolled her eyes. Of course he was going to be difficult, because he was scared of what he would see in her eyes.

Grabbing his chin she gently lifted his face up until his red tear filled eyes met hers.

"Why did you marry me? You could've done so much better than a man who couldn't find your daughter."

"I married you because I loved you and still do. You found Norah when no one else could. You never stopped looking. I love you for the way your eyes light up when you see Ryan and Lily. Watching you with them and knowing how much you love me is what keeps me going. If anyone failed here, Marshall it was me."

"No, you weren't even there when Norah was grabbed and weren't allowed to look for her. You did nothing wrong."

"I failed to realize that you were hurting. The pain inside of you that has eaten you up over the last five years went unnoticed by me. I knew about the nightmares and should've insisted that you talk to Shelley. I should've thought about how much you loved Norah before asking you to find her and then her killer. It was wrong of me not to push you to get help like you did for me. Stan's scheduling the earliest appointment possible for you. It's well past time for you to talk about what haunts you. I know there are parts you can't share with me. Shelley won't tell me unless you approve. I'd like for you to tell me the things you feel that you can share with me. Let me be you shelter in the storm. You were mine and it's time for me to return the favor."

It was then Marshall noticed the tears. "I made you cry."

"When you hurt, I hurt. I'm sorry I didn't realize what this was doing to you sooner. I was worried, but you seemed to have it mostly controlled."

"None of this was your fault, Mare."

"It wasn't yours either, Marshall."

"Don't leave me, Mare. Please don't leave me."

"Never. I would never leave you. We have a family that I cherish and you can't get rid of me that easily. I vowed to love you for the rest of my life and I intend to keep that. Please stop tormenting yourself over this. I need you, Lily and Ryan need you and so does our future child. Whatever it is that you think I can't forgive it's in the past. It won't destroy us. We're strong enough to survive anything together. Please believe me Marshall."

Mary never thought she'd hear herself beg for anything, but she needed Marshall to believe in them. He had to know that things would be okay. She loved him too much to ever let him go.

When he lifted his head you she couldn't help but reach out for him. The look of anguish on his face scared her. Marshall was the rock in their relationship. She didn't like the broken look that he wore.

"Marshall, let's go home. Your parents will watch the kids tonight. We can do whatever you need tonight."

"I don't want the kids to see me like this. Can we bring them home later?"

"Of course. We could even do a family sleepover. We haven't had one in a while. I think we all need the extra closeness," Mary admitted.

Mary couldn't help but think it's exactly what Marshall needed. She had teased once that they were family sleepovers when a storm scared both of the kids and they ended up all in the same bed. The closeness would help Marshall for tonight and Shelley would help him find a way to deal with everything that happened. It would be the best thing for Marshall.


	9. Chapter 9

One Year Later:

Marshall sat in the lounge chair holding their five month old twins Ella and Tyler while Mary sat on the beach building a sand castle with Lily and Ryan. He still had a hard time believing they had twins. Mary had made her opinion about it loud and clear in the delivery room. As always though, she changed her mind the second they were in her arms.

While Tyler got his looks from him, Ella was the spitting image of Mary and reminded them so much of Norah they feared they would scar her by being even more overprotective of her. The thought of letting her out of their sights petrified them and both had gone to talk to Shelley.

He and Mary both had a lot to be thankful to Shelley for. She had managed to get Mary to open up about her feelings from Norah's disappearance, to him killing Randall, and as he found out later her fear that something happened to him those five days he was missing.

Marshall had told her about the tape and what happened at the hotel. They had gone into great length about his guilt in not being able to find Norah until it was too late and the fact that to this day he couldn't feel bad about killing Randall. Shelley had also convinced him to have a serious conversation with Mary about all that happened. He didn't have to tell her about the tape as Shelley knew full well he'd protect Mary from that as long as he lived.

The talk with Mary had been the hardest. He told her everything he was willing to share with her about what happened over the course of everything including the hotel incident. The only question he couldn't answer was what hat drove him to it. Mary knew it was the part he wouldn't share.

It was during their talk she shared to him about her feeling guilty about asking him to do the things that had torn him apart. How it hurt her to see him fall apart and that she used his love for her to try and force him to tell her the secret. Mary had shared the feeling of loneliness and how much she missed him when she was in Santa Fe.

Marshall was proud of Mary. While her and Mark would never stay in touch or be friends again, she did have the courage and strength to face Mark and share what Marshall had told her. When she returned from seeing Mark, she pulled him aside. He recalled that night.

_They had put the kids to bed and Mary had taken Marshall by the hand and led him to the living room. _

"_I missed all of you." Mary admitted sitting on the sofa next to Marshall. _

"_Are you okay?" Marshall asked drawing her closer to him._

"_Oddly enough, I am. It's the first time I saw Mark and didn't despise him. I know that we're better off apart from each other and that we won't be friends again. Too many words have been spoken and there's just too much damage." _

"_But?"_

"_I told him that, but I also told him that I didn't hate him. He gave me a gift for three years and that I knew he loved Norah too. Recommended he see some one for the amount of guilt he has stored up and that I'm sure I added to."_

"_How did he react?" _

"_Mark thanked me for the words and asked what changed. I told him how much the guilt can eat a person up and that I've seen first hand how much damage it does. He deserves happiness in his life, but as much as I could forgive him it would be best to keep on separate paths. I have a family that I love and continue to grow with and that is what keeps me going. He needs to find his own happiness." _

"_I'm proud of you Mare." _

"_No one should have to go through the pain of losing a child. Those that do should realize that it impacts others that they sometimes aren't even aware of. You scared me with everything you told me. No one should hurt the way you did."_

Marshall was drawn back to the present by a shout.

"Doofus, stop hiding behind the babies, bring their seats down and help us. Geez, do I have to do all the work?"

Marshall smiled and did what was requested.

A half hour later Marshall was walking carefully into the ocean with Ryan and Lily. Mary sat with the twins and smiled as she heard the three laughing as they got wet.

Mary was proud of Marshall. After the breakdown he went to see Shelley. It took awhile, but signs of the old Marshall began to return. When they had talked about some of what happened Mary felt herself get sick at the thought of Marshall hurting so much he thought about taking his life. She had saved him. It was what he told her. He lived for her and now they lived for their family.

Norah was still a part of their lives. The kids asked questions and Mary found it helped to talk about Norah. She remembered when they had taken Lily and Ryan to the fair and left the twins with Seth and Ellen.

_Lily's eyes lit up when she saw the balloons on a string just as they were leaving. _

"_Daddy, balloon." _

_Marshall looked to see where his daughter was pointing. Mary knew full well he'd cave and buy her one. The man was weak when it came to his girls, not that he was really that much better with the boys. _

_She had rolled her eyes as Marshall scooped her up and brought her over to pick one. They started to walk away when she saw the forewarning of tears about to come. _

"_Lily, what's wrong?" Marshall asked concerned. _

"_Need another balloon, Daddy." _

"_Poohbear, only one balloon. You don't need a second one." _

"_Yes, I do, Mommy." _

_Mary had been surprised. Lily didn't usually talk back._

"_That's enough, Lily we have to go. Thank Daddy for getting you the balloon." _

"_Thanks, Daddy," Lily sniffled. _

_As they got closer to the gate, Lily released the balloon._

_Mary couldn't believe she just did that. While Marshall had just missed the string to get it back. _

"_Lily, why did you just do that?" Mary asked. _

"_I wanted to share with my Angel. That's why I wanted two. Norah and I could play with them together. Was it bad?" _

_Mary felt the tears prick her eyes and saw Marshall swallow hard. _

"_No poohbear, that was very sweet of you." _

"_Let's go get one for you this time," Marshall choked out. _

Later that night when the kids were asleep, Mary found herself wrapped in Marshall's arms enjoying the cool breeze and the glow cast onto the ocean by the moon.

"Penny for your thoughts," Marshall whispered.

"We've come a long ways. The kids are happy, I'm happy. I didn't think it would be possible after Norah was gone."

"Time heals wounds. Norah is still with us, in our hearts, thoughts and our memories. She was a precious gift that I'll be eternally grateful for having the pleasure to know."

Mary turned around and wrapped her arms around Marshall's neck and kissed him passionately. They backed up towards the door. They ended up in the living room before needing to come up for air.

"Let me close things up and I'll meet you in bed."

Mary nodded and headed down the hall.

Marshall turned off the first light and went to turn the second light off when he saw the picture of Norah sitting on his shoulders at the zoo. Gently he traced his fingers over it.

Marshall had stopped searching for missing kids as it was too hard on him, but they had found other ways to help by volunteering to post posters for missing children and host a booth at local event to raise awareness. His Dad joined the Project Alert to donate time and expertise to local law enforcement agencies.

Marshall traced the photo again.

"I promised to find you if you were lost and bring you home. Norah, you're in our hearts and that is now your home. I wish it was different, but I want you to know that you've changed lives for the better in your short time here.

I promise you that I'll take care of your Mom,brothers and sisters. Thank you for bringing us together. I wish it had been by a different way, but I know that you look over us. You're in our hearts princess, I'll always love you."

With that Marshall set the picture down lovingly before turning off the light and heading down the hallway.


End file.
